Stay with me Forever
by SilverLine3
Summary: "Wrong train! She took the wrong train, and now she was going to be late. She was going towards the door, to get out, but stopped in the middle, when her eyes fell on the guy sitting on the corner seat. Green flannel shirt, buttoned up, black jeans, he looked gorgeous. She couldn't believe that Stefan Salvatore still had this kind of effect on her." Req. by @lefleur89 on tumblr
1. Chapter 1

A soft breeze is coming on her way, when she is impatiently tapping her heels on the floor. The tap is in sync with the ticking in her wrist watch. In every two seconds, her eyes dances between the clock and the crowd surrounding her. It's a good morning, but patience is not her forte. The platform is a little crowded than usual. A usual Thursday morning, but not so usual for her. A smile flicker on her face, when she thinks about him. Her reflex tells her to close her eyes, and go into the captured moments, the one where his one look at her makes her whole body shiver.

The ringing phone inside the pocket of her purse makes her jump. And the name flashing on the screen makes her heart flutter.

"Hey." The deep voice calls her, the way he always do it.

"Hey."

"Why that sigh?"

"I am running a little late." Caroline rolls her eyes in exhaustion.

"The time will pass. Don't worry."

"Yeah, it will." And she can feel her tensed muscles getting relax. Like a waving wand, magically, his voice is enough to make her feel less crazy.

"I can smell the orchids." His words catches her off-guard, and she looks at the orchids she is holding in her hand.

"How do you know that I have orchids in my hand." She demands, with a frown on her forehead. She looks around her, looking if he is around.

"Now, don't look for me in the crowd."

"How the hell did you-"

"Caroline… I just…know it." His simple words like this makes her fluster, and she can feel her cheeks getting hot.

"Of course you do!" he chuckled her comment. "I think the train is coming. Wait for me."

"I will…. I am waiting. See you soon." The conversation ends like that, and she can feel two eyes watching her from the side, when she walks towards the bench and sits there, besides the stranger.

"Boyfriend?" The stranger girl asks. She is a stranger because they never caught each other's name. They used to smile to each other every day when they see each other on the station.

Caroline shakes her head, mouthing a "No". "Friend. Just a friend." The sadness is obvious in her voice.

"If it is meant to be, you will get it."

Caroline looks at her, and smiles. "Thanks…. Big day?"

Yup, it is… he proposed me exactly one year back." Caroline widens her grin. She loves to hear the love stories.

"What about you? A special day for you too?"

"Sort of." She answers. She is in her own world, and she didn't realize the trains arriving.

Thinking all the way, knowing that he is waiting on the other end of the line, she takes the train.

One Year before

March, 2003

 _"No boys from now on. They don't own me." She was chanting all the way to the station. She was broken, after the disastrous break-up with Tyler, the guy with whom she had been in a relation for around one and half years, give or take, she wasn't ready for this._

 _"I am Caroline Forbes, dammit. Suck it up world. You can't beat me." She laughed at the sky, like she was challenging the higher beings. If anybody around her would have seen her like that, talking to herself, they would have thought she was crazy. Well, she did felt being a crazy person as well._

 _Hurriedly she took the train, like she always did. She was early today, and so she decided to finish her unfinished work after reaching the office._

 _The next stop name was announced in the train, and then it hit her. She checked the name twice, and groaned._

 _Wrong train! She took the wrong train, and now she was going to be late. She was going towards the door, to get out, but stopped in the middle, when her eyes fell on the guy sitting on the corner seat. Green flannel shirt, buttoned up, black jeans, he looked gorgeous. She couldn't believe that Stefan Salvatore still had this kind of effect on her. His all concentration was on the book he was reading, turning one page after another. Within a minute, she had checked him out from top to bottom. She could even smell the cologne he was wearing, the same one he used to wear in the high school. She missed the station again. But she didn't regret it._

 _Next day, she took that same wrong train again, but this time… it was on purpose. Luckily, he was still travelling through that train. She sat on the opposite seat, diagonal to the one he was sitting. He was reading again, and she was tempted to see the title. But, her eyesight wasn't that good. And she wished to have a magnified eye-sight. She felt his head turning up, and in fear she kept her hand on her side cheek, in a way so that he couldn't see her face. Giving an impression of a stalker was the last thing she wanted._

 _The days passed by, and she continued to take the wrong path every single morning. It had become her habit now. From the grey shirt to the James Dean style jacket, his every single cloth from his wardrobe had been memorized by her. He still used to go with grey, white or black. Just like old school days. The guy totally needed some colors in his dictionary._

 _She was meeting Bonnie for lunch. It was usual for the two best- friends, to catch on every Wednesdays. And when she reached, Bonnie was already waiting for her._

 _"Caroline, you will cut your tongue, if you will try to keep the things you want to say in your mouth any longer." Bonnie raised an eyebrow, pointed the fork at her. "Spill."_

 _"I saw Stefan Salvatore." Caroline blurted out._

 _"The loner from high-school?" Caroline frowned at the reaction she got from Bonnie._

 _"Hey, he wasn't a loner, okay. He just liked to keep to himself. That's it."_

 _"Please, don't tell me you still have a crush on him?"_

 _"I don't" the answer came instantly. Enough for Bonnie to catch the lie. The teasing smile started to play on Bonnie's face._

 _"So, did you talk to him?"_

 _"Sure, why not. I should totally go and talk to the guy, who turned me down the day we met in high school." She said sarcastically and sighed. "Today I thought that he looked in my direction, and I got so scared, I chickened out and ran as if I was the participant of some 200m race."_

 _Bonnie wanted to say, but Caroline wasn't finished. "Besides, he was dating the famous Elena Gilbert."_

 _"And you were dating Tyler. What's your point?"_

 _"My point is that he was so much in love with Elena, I don't think he is available… because that kind of love never dies."_

 _"Then stop stalking him, you will end up hurting yourself again."_

 _"Hey, I don't stalk-"Caroline stopped talking, when she saw Bonnie's face._

 _"You are right." She straightened herself up, and looked at Bonnie with a determined face. "I take a promise today, I am not going to take that train now."_

 _And she did exactly the opposite of that._

 _"I need help!" she whispered to herself, looking around herself, in the place where she promised she won't come. She couldn't locate him though. Her eyes wandered here and there, but he was nowhere to be found. Maybe she was in the wrong coach or something. Disappointed and little sad, she took the seat. She was in her thoughts when she felt like a stone fell on her head._

 _"Hey…" the irritation was prominent in her voice, when she turned to see the cause of that thud on her head._

 _"I am so sorry."_

 _Caroline's eyes widened when she saw Stefan picking up the book._

 _His hand automatically went on her forehead, touching her hair, looking for some kind of bump._

 _"Are you all right?"_

 _"Um… yeah" her words were stuck in her thought, but he managed to speak two words at least._

 _"What color is it?" he pointed at his shirt, dreading for a concussion._

 _"Uh, black?" she wasn't sure if the color of his shirt was the correct one for a check. "I am fine. Thank god it wasn't a heavy book." She pointed her finger to the book he was holding, and her eyes scanned the cover._

 _"The great Gatsby… huh!" she smiled._

 _"Yeah..." his eyes dropped at the book in his own hand. "It's my favorite book."_

 _"You are Caroline, right?"_

 _"Yeah… Yeah I am." Her heart was beating fast, just by the thought that he remembered her._

 _"I am Stefan, we were in the same high school." He prompted when it looked to him like she didn't recognize him. "Looks like you don't remember me."_

 _"Oh, yeah. I am remembering now. Stefan Salvatore, right?" she played it well._

 _He took the empty seat beside her, and nodded at her._

 _"So, it's been a long time since we met."_

 _"Yea… yeah it is… totally." She wanted to talk about so much and now nothing was coming in her mind. "So, you travel in this route every day?"_

 _"Yeah. My college is in this direction. I am studying medicine."_

 _Doctors were always her weakness. "That's great."_

 _"What about you? I thought that I saw you yesterday, but when turned to catch up with you, you were already gone."_

 _Busted. "Yeah, my work is in this direction."_

 _"Oh, where do you work?"_

 _Dammit._

 _She didn't know what was with the hundred questions. He never used to talk so much. What was making the difference now? She wondered._

 _"I am working with 'The Wesleys'."_

 _"Oh, I thought it was on the opposite way."_

 _"I am doing an internship in one of the branch which is in this… direction." She almost patted herself on her shoulder. She could win an Oscar for the performance she was giving._

 _"That sounds great." he smiled slightly._

 _"How is Elena?" she asked the most important question, because if she was still in the picture, there was no point of everyday commute route she had been taking, and she had to stop it._

 _His grave face was telling otherwise. "We, broke up last year."_

 _"Oh." The pain on his face was so obvious, that it was breaking her heart to see him like that. "I am sorry."_

 _'It's okay." He smiled at her. "My station is coming in a minute."_

 _"Mine too." They both stood up and walked out of the train._

 _"It was nice seeing you Stefan." she admitted._

 _"Same here." She grinned widely. And that kind of smile had a lot of unnoticed effect on him. It always had. It just never surfaced (to him)._

 _The days became months, and she still took the same route, meeting him every day on the way._


	2. Chapter 2

**11th March, 2004, 7:00 a.m. (Present Day)**

"See you soon." Stefan ends the call, and looks at the time in his phone.

"There is your coffee." He turns around to look at his friend, and take the cup from her hand.

"Thanks. I should run now." He put the lab coat on the wall hook, and took his backpack.

"Stefan?" she calls him, and he dreads before looking at her, because he knows what is the question coming next.

"Are you seriously not going to face me now?" arms crossed, she looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

He sighs and finally looks at her. "What do you want me to say Lexi?"

"I want you to decide what you want."

"The thought is scary." The words comes out absent-mindedly.

"Why is it scary?"

"Because she is my best friend."

"And here I thought, I was your best friend." Stefan chuckles on her. Lexi was his childhood friend, his buddy, the one with whom he opens up so easily. And then there is Caroline Forbes. The girl, who never so important to him, who he thought would be kind of a passerby in his life. He laughs at himself for being so wrong.

"What's so funny?"  
"Nothing." He mumbled, and when she eyed him, the deep sigh leaves his mouth. "I don't know Lexi. I am still figuring it out. I don't want to mess up things. The place where we are right now, what if it didn't work? I will lose her. And I can't afford that."

"Why do you think it won't work? You think she isn't good enough for you?"

"No, I didn't say that." The answer is instant, like this is how he should react to anyone saying negative about Caroline.

"Then what Stefan? What is holding you back?" she encounters him. Looks like Lexi doesn't want to back off without convincing him.

"She is too good to fall for me." He turns his head down, as if trying to escape Lexi's presence. Her looks has started to feel heavy to him. "You know, I thought Elena was the one for me. What if-"

"But Caroline isn't Elena, Stefan. The situation isn't like the one you and Elena had. That love was different."

"I don't think she looks at me in that way."

"Stefan, you both are being idiots."

"Lexi…" Stefan decides to stop her from anymore discussions, he can do this any other time, but right now he is getting late. "Can we talk about this anytime later? I gotta go."

"Fine… Don't talk. But figure it out soon. Life is way too short Stefan, don't waste it on just in thinking out stuffs."

"By the way, where are you going?"

"Um…"

"Are you going back to home?"

"I don't have a class today, and I have already noted all the observations from my part of the experiment."

"Okay." Lexi smiles widely and adds, "say my hello to Caroline." She isn't his best friend for nothing.

"Is it that obvious?" he asks, a shy smile on his face.

"Look into the mirror, and say it yourself!"

He walks faster, because he has to take the bus and reach the station within half an hour.

 _April, 2003_

 _Stefan was sitting at the same spot, when she entered the train. She was still thinking if she should go towards him and sit with him, when he raised his head and motioned his hand to call her._

 _The grey shirt he was wearing was bringing out his chest perfectly fine, and she thought her heart couldn't jump any more than that. Slowly she walked towards him, and gave him a wide smile._

 _"Hey."_

 _"Hey."_

 _"You are still reading this?" She questioned him._

 _"Uh, actually I am re-reading this. Fourth time."_

 _Her eyes widened on the information, and he chuckled. "You are looking at me like, I am some kind of a freak."_

 _"No… I didn't… I mean, I just wondered that, this must be a really good book, I should give it a try." She was almost talking to herself, when he closed the book and waved it in front of her eyes. She turned to look at him, who was smiling at her._

 _"What?"_

 _"Take it."_

 _"Oh, I wasn't asking you to give me."_

 _"I know. If you want to give it a try, you can read it."_

 _"But you are already half way through."_

 _"It's fine. It's not like I am reading it for the first time."_

 _"I am a slow reader when it comes to novels… I might take time, in returning the book." Stefan laughed lightly at her._

 _"I am a patient guy… I can wait." There were goosebumps on her skin, not because she was talking to Stefan, but because there was some magic in the way he talked with her._

 _The days passed by, and they both used to see each other on the daily basis. Caroline still took the long route. Like not taking that train wasn't her choice anymore._

 _Stefan as usual, took the train, talked with Caroline on the way, and then headed towards his university. He had to take a lot of experimental observations that day for the microbial replication he was studying. Putting the safety gloves, and his lab coat, he went straight towards his lab partner. Lexi had decided to take the same university, and being the childhood friends, he can talk about anything and everything to her._

 _"You know I met Caroline Forbes." He said casually._

 _Lexie eyed him, teasing a smile on her lips._

 _"Now, we have to adjust the time frame." Lexie was standing on his left side._

 _"Hmm, yeah I am keeping it for two hours in the incubation chamber."_

 _"Is that the cute one from your high school?" she asked. They didn't go to the same high school, since she got transferred to other city, but when they used to meet in between their summer holidays, she made it sure that they catch up on everything._

 _Stefan chuckled on the description of Caroline, but he didn't deny._

 _"It's just been a month. But it's nice to see a known face here."_

 _"Looks like I am getting replaced by another blonde." She nudged him with her elbow._

 _"Lexi, no one is replacing you."_

 _"But, she is making a new place in your heart isn't she?"_

 _Stefan smiled at her. "Do not start!" He sighed and looked at Lexi. "She is a… friend."_

* * *

 _"Damon and Elena…. Wow." Caroline was still processing the information. After a few weeks or so, he told her about how his girlfriend fell for his own brother._

 _"Yeah."_

 _"She is an idiot." Stefan looked at her with confusion. "Elena! I mean, Damon is just ew… and you are… you, and that girl has surely lost her mind if she chose HIM."_

 _Stefan chuckled lightly, blushing a little. Caroline realized at that moment that she was being super blunt._

 _"You hate him. I get that."_

 _"It's not that…. I just don't get it." She laughed softly. "I don't get it, that… how can anyone leave… someone like you." The admiration was all over her face, and there were no words Stefan could think of saying after that._

 _"Well, I don't why we choose the wrong things in life, you choosing Elena, Elena choosing Damon, and Me choosing Tyler, and-"_

 _"Tyler?" The name sounded familiar to him._

 _"Yeah, Tyler. Our school soccer player. Remember?" Stefan nodded, and frowned on the information. Now he got why he felt like he had heard the name before._

 _"Isn't he a little aggressive? I mean he had some anger issues."_

 _"He is fine. I mean all players have that kind of anger problems, and they need to vent."_

 _"But he is… fine with you, right?"_

 _"Yeah... I mean, he was fine with me." Caroline was confuse with the sudden concern Stefan was showing to her._

 _"Was?" His mind was racing in some other direction, and so his muscles started were tensed._

 _"Yeah, well, I don't know if things are fine or not now, because we broke up." Caroline thought he might say something to console her, but he didn't. Instead she saw his muscles getting relaxed a bit._

 _"What happened?" he didn't know what to ask other than this question._

 _"He chose something else over me. I asked him to choose love over hate, to be the love of my life, and he did exactly the opposite of that. Like I wasn't worthy enough for him." There was a sad smile on her face, but it was there just for a moment. She was back to being the perky one._

 _"Enough about my life's drama. Because I can write a book on that." She stood up, to get out on the station. She was about to walk past him, when he called her back._

 _"Caroline" The name was called with sincerity. And when she turned around, he was lost for the words. "Take care." He wanted to say more than that. But for some reason, he couldn't._

* * *

 _A/N_ : Hey I just want to say thank you to all the lovely readers, who are following this fic. I really love to hear your thoughts for the story. Happy reading :D


	3. Chapter 3

_May, 2003_

 _They started to meet more often, and that weekend they were going for a movie._

 _"So, all set for your date?" Bonnie asked in between the sip of her coffee._

 _"It's not a date."_

 _"Then why are you getting worked up just for a dress. You have been standing in your closet for about four hours now."_

 _"Hey, A) I am Caroline Forbes. I always wants to look good. And B) don't exaggerate, I have been here only for two hours."_

 _"Weren't you like into Stefan or something?"_

 _"I was."_

 _"Then?" Bonnie prompted, pushing to open up more._

 _Caroline sighed and turned around to face Bonnie. "Then…. we became friends, and in this friend-zone, everything is delicate. One wrong step or thought, and the relation is ruined."_

 _"Then why do you still taking that wrong train, Caroline?"_

 _"I…. "Caroline had no answer to that. She had tried to stop herself. But, she always ended up walking into that train, and watch him smiling at her. "I don't know."_

 _They were going to meet at the common point near the fountain square. She walked straight towards the spot from the bus stop, and Stefan was already sitting on one of the bench._

 _"I thought the time was supposed to be 1 p.m." Caroline looked at her watch, which was saying it was around 12.50 p.m. of the day._

 _"It is."_

 _"How long have you been here?"_

 _"Not much." He looked somewhere else, as if he was trying to escape that question._

 _There was something in the white shirt he used to wear. Caroline's heart started to explode with the way he looked in that shirt. But, then it was the effect of Stefan Salvatore on Caroline Forbes. They started to walk towards the movie theatre, side by side, with Caroline talking and Stefan listening to her._

 _"I am boring you, right?" she asked him after a while._

 _"No, of course not."_

 _"Then, what is it? Why are you silent today?"_

 _"Um, because I talk less." Caroline laughed at him, while he smiled._

 _"No, I mean what is it that's bothering you? You can tell me." He sighed but didn't say anything. "We are friends, and we can tell each other things, and trust each other with their worries." Stefan nodded and his eyes bored into his shoes._

 _"I wanted to tell you something?"_

 _"What?"_

 _He took a step closer, and raised his thumb towards her face. "You have dirt on your cheek." He rubbed his thumb softly on her cheek, and she laughed lightly._

 _"Is it about Elena?" Stefan was shocked to see how easily she guessed it right._

 _"They seem happy together." He looked at her face and continued. "It's not that I hate them for being together."_

 _"Then what is it?"_

 _"Every time I tell myself that I have moved on, or I am moving on, a part of me comes out that still couldn't shake her."_

 _Her face dropped on hearing his thoughts, but she gave her honest answer as she always did. "Well, its normal, Stefan. These things couldn't go away just because you declared to be moving on."_

 _"Then how can anyone ever… seem to move on?"_

 _"I don't know… maybe one day you will meet someone, and you will fall madly in love with her… and at that moment… you would have moved on, without even realizing it."_

 _He didn't know how and when, but he was already feeling alive again. As if she flicked a switch, and everything became refreshing, and normal for him._

* * *

 _"So I have put the popcorn in the microwave, pizza is on its way, and would you like to have coke or something stronger than that?" Caroline was looking into her collection of movies._

 _"I am fine with anything, but first of the important question is what are we watching?" Bonnie came out of the kitchen and jumped on to the couch._

 _"I am still looking for a good one."_

 _"mmm… anything is good." Bonnie was lost in her own thoughts while smiling of her own._

 _"Bonnie?" Caroline called her once she saw her not being normal. "Um, why are you acting like this?"_

 _"Like what?"_

 _"Acting all weird?"_

 _"Am I?" Bonnie was abnormally cheery, and the detective inside Caroline was dying to figure out the reason for the same._

 _It wasn't even a second when Caroline deciphered her best friend's happy face, and her jaw almost dropped. "Bonnie Bennett! You met someone didn't you?" Bonnie started laughing on watching the excited all over Caroline's face. "OH MY GOD, BONNIE. I want all the details. Tell me EVERYTHING."_

 _"What about the movie?"_

 _"Screw the movie. We are gonna talk about the mystery guy. This will be like our high school slumber."_

 _"There is not much to talk about. But, Ben is an architect, and we bumped into each other on the road, when he was running with his sketches on the pathway."_

 _"What's the name again?"_

 _"Ben."_

 _"Bonnie, do you have any idea how much you blush when you take his name." Caroline teased her._

 _"Like you do when you think about Stefan." Bonnie raised her eyebrows, and teased her back._

 _"Hey... I don't… I don't blush, okay."_

 _"Yeah, sure if you say so." Bonnie said sarcastically. "By the way, how is everything between you two? I mean how far did you reach?"_

 _Caroline sighed. She didn't know the answer to that. "Well, we are friends for sure. And I think somewhere he is still stuck on Elena, and I don't think he is looking for something new. At least not right now." Bonnie looked at her, thinking if she should keep the information she had to herself or not._

 _"What? Why are you looking like that?"_

 _"When I was having a dinner with Ben last night, we saw Tyler."_

 _"Okay, you saw him. So what?"_

 _Bonnie didn't know how to proceed. "He was with Liv, Liv Parker." Caroline was going to say something else, when Bonnie completed her sentence. "And they were kissing each other."_

 _The room became so silent that Caroline was able to hear even her own heartbeats. "Ben is Tyler's friend, and he said they have been dating for around three or four months now."_

 _"We broke up around three months ago." Caroline stated almost angrily._

 _"I know… Caroline are you okay? I just thought you should know."_

 _Caroline looked at her lost at the words. "Yeah… Yeah I am fine. It's good that he found someone. Good that the whole world is moving on. And here I am stuck on someone who is stuck on someone else." Her laughs were humorless, and Bonnie regretted to bring the topic of Tyler._

 _"Caroline, I know how it feels to see one to be going in for the new relationship while you are still single and-"_

 _"I am fine with that Bonnie. You know what? Today isn't about worrying. It's about celebration that you found your Ben. And praying for the hope that my Ben can move on in his life." She stood up and walked towards the kitchen._

 _"Where are you going?"_

 _"I need something stronger than coke now." To tell the truth, she wasn't feeling fine after hearing about Tyler. But she can deal with such things._

* * *

 _She thought that the slumber will be a blast, instead it turned out to be gloomy inside her head. But, she was stronger than that, and she wasn't going to be affected by any of it._

 _"Are you okay?" Stefan looked at her once, and it was enough to know that something was off._

 _"Yeah, why did you asked?"_

 _"Caroline, if something is bugging you… you can tell me. You know that right?"_

 _She looked at him, and her looks followed with an "I know." However, in reality she was fighting with herself on whether she should tell him about Tyler or not._

 _She chose to tell him about the conversation with Bonnie last night._

 _Silence was engulfing them for more than ten minutes, when they reached their destined station. And that was the moment, when he decided to finally tell her what he had been trying to say for a while._

 _"Tyler is a dick. You know that, right?" Caroline was almost shocked to hear him calling Tyler like that._

 _"Stefan, he is not-"_

 _"He doesn't know what he lost…" he looked straight into Caroline's eyes, and took one step closer to her, and she cursed her heard to thump like a maniac at that very moment. She never realized when her hand was enclosed between the palms of his hands, and his thumb stroking the back of her hand, slowly, in circular motion._

 _"You are going to meet someone who you deserve, Caroline."_

 _Caroline laughed lightly, the lump in her throat was making it difficult for her to talk._

 _"Thank you… for saying that." She was wishing that someone to be him, but maybe time will tell what she will end up with._

 _"I am just saying the truth."_

 _"Or, you are just saying that because I told you the same last time, you know as a return gesture." Caroline decided to lighten the mood, and so she started playing around with the words._

 _"Is that what you think I am doing?" Caroline's smile dropped when she saw the seriousness on his face. Looked like he was really hurt._

 _Shit._

 _I shouldn't have said that._

 _"Stefan, I didn't-"she started, but it was getting hard for Stefan to keep the composure, and the hint of a smile was already there on his face. Caroline tilted her head, figuring out the little play he was doing with her, and slapped his shoulder._

 _"SO funny, aren't you?" She commented_

 _"But, did that work?" he asked still smiling, and Caroline shook her head._

 _Her thoughts turned from Tyler to Elena, and she was still confused with the fact that how can anybody leave him. How can someone even try to break a heart like the one he had._

 _And the thought of losing him was scarier than a wardrobe malfunction to her those days._

* * *

A/N: I really love the response I am getting for this fic. Thank you so much for all your love. Don't forget to let me know what your thoughts are :) Happy reading


	4. Chapter 4

_June, 2003_

 _Stefan took the train, and went to have his usual spot, looking at the time in his watch. And when she came, her eyes glowed looking in his direction, and his concentration was already locked in her direction. A wide grin spread on her face, mirrored by the goofy smile on his lips._

 _She walked straight to the place he was sitting, saving a seat for her on his right._

 _"How is the preparation?" she asked while taking the seat beside him._

 _"Done. But it's the most difficult course. Hope I will crack the test."_

 _"You will. You were so good in studies, I am sure you still are." For some reason, the nervousness inside him started to evaporate._

 _"Hope so."_

 _The time never looked lingering when she was around him nowadays. And so, they never realized when the station came. Stefan smiled to himself, feeling lucky to have a friend like her. He was in her own thoughts when he bumped into her and his backpack fell on the ground._

 _"Lost somewhere?" she questioned._

 _"Something like that." He put the books back in the bag, and zipped it up. With a goodbye, he started walking fast._

 _Luckily, he wasn't late, and Lexi had already kept one seat for him._

 _"You are late." She whispered when he took the chair beside her._

 _"I am not."_

 _"You are, five minutes late."_

 _"That is so not being late, Lexi." He pointed out and she narrowed her eyes._

 _"Who takes summer classes, and on top of it gives exams for it."_

 _"Me, and you are taking it as well."_

 _"You dragged me into this, Stefan."_

 _"Well, you can thank me later." He winked at her. However, the rest of their conversation was abruptly came to stop when the professor distributed the test papers._

 _The time went in a blur, and the exam looked pretty easy to him. Maybe he was worrying for nothing._

 _"So you are going to be the high achiever again, aren't you?" Lexi asked._

 _"We will see. But right now, I want to relax, and so I am heading to the gym."_

 _Lexi was on her way to the cafeteria, when she heard someone taking Stefan's name. A yellow colored sundress, and with a small handbag, the girl was asking someone for the medical department._

 _"Hey, are you looking for the medical department?" Lexi approached the girl._

 _"Yeah, actually I was looking for Stefan, Stefan Salvatore." With the face she had, and her golden locks, it wasn't hard for Lexi to guess that it was none other than Caroline Forbes._

 _"I can take you to him."_

 _"Thanks." Caroline smiled at her._

 _"I am Lexi, by the way."_

 _"You are Stefan's best friend!" Caroline smiled in astonishment. "I have heard so much about you."_

 _"So have I."_

 _"You did?" Caroline was shocked to hear that Stefan discussed about her with his best-friend, and couldn't help but smile._

 _"Yeah, he told me about how you guys met again, and everything." On their way, the whole time Lexi was observing her, and there was a smug on her face. "Anyways, what brings you here today?"_

 _"Oh, yeah, he forgot is journal in the morning." She pulled out the brown leather cover journal from her purse. "I thought, with his exams and everything, these might be his notes, and missing notes can never do any good." The light laughter came out of her mouth._

 _"Oh, this isn't his notes, but his journal. The one in which he writes about his private thoughts. You should read it." There was faint smile on Lexi's face when she walked in front of her, but it made Caroline's mind go wild. She was being tempted to open and see if there is anything about her. But, the other half of her mind was saying that even if she peeked inside it which will be wrong. Her thoughts were broke in the middle when she saw Stefan coming out of the gym with his duffel bag._

 _Stefan was confused a little when he saw Lexi coming on his way, but then, his confusion was gone away when Caroline was in clear view._

 _"Caroline! Hey."_

 _"Hey."_

 _There was some awkward silence maybe because of the way he was looking freshly out of the shower, or maybe because she was there just to meet him._

 _"Well, Caroline was looking for you, so I thought I will bring her here." Lexi was the first one to break the silence._

 _"Oh, you were?" Stefan questioned Caroline._

 _"Yeah, you forgot this." She handed him the diary, and for a second he felt like someone hit him with a bush._

 _"Uh, you didn't read it. Did you?"_

 _"Why? What's so secret Stefan?" Lexi asked him raising an eyebrow._

 _"Nothing." He mumbled, but Caroline didn't pushed him._

 _"I should go now. My break is almost over."_

 _His eyes followed her walking steps, going away from them._

 _"Hmm!" Lexi sighed loudly, and Stefan's sighs came in exhaustion._

 _"What?" he asked tiredly._

 _"I didn't say anything. It's just… I was wondering why are you so happy, not being the broody one, and funnier these days. I was wondering what changed. But, now I can see the reason."_

 _Stefan shook his head. Lexi always used to tease him, so he never took the teasing part so seriously. "Lexi, when will you ever stop?"_

 _"I am just telling you what I am seeing."_

 _Stefan's eyes were concentrating on the ground. "What?"_

 _"What if Elena was the one for me? And I have lost her now."_

 _"Maybe she was, and maybe she wasn't. The truth is we have multiple soulmates, but you can only get to know the other one, when you let the old love go."_

 _Lexi didn't point it towards Caroline, but she wished that he get it sooner._

 _Stefan was on his way to his apartment, when he crashed into something. After a second he realized, that it was the girl, who was now on the ground._

 _He should really stop bumping into people._

 _"I am sorry. Are you all right?" he helped her to get up._

 _"Yeah, I am fine. My head was somewhere else."_

 _"Are you new to the place?"_

 _"Yeah I moved in today." The girl smiled at her._

 _"Well, I live right across the hallway. If you need any help, you can ask."_

 _"Sure. Thanks."_

 _"I am Stefan, by the way."_

 _"It's so stupid of me, that I didn't introduced myself." Stefan chuckled lightly. "I am Ivy."_


	5. Chapter 5

**March, 2004 (Present day, 7:15 a.m.)**

Caroline is in her own thoughts when she takes the vacant seat in the train. Her eyes are fixed on the floor, when her purse starts to buzz.

"I don't know, Bonnie." She said the second she took the phone.

"I didn't ask anything."

"But, I know why you are calling me." They already had that conversation last night, about the fact if she still feel anything.

"If you know, then just tell him already, Caroline."

"I am not saying anything to anyone. Today we are meeting because we are celebrating the fact that we met today. That's it."

"And it must be your idea."

"How does that matter if it was my idea or not?" she questions

"I don't know, it's like you are trying to look for ways to meet him.

"He was the one who suggested." She couldn't help but blurt out the truth.

"Then he is looking for ways."

"You are being delusional, Bonnie. You know that, right?" Caroline laughs lightly. She has accepted the fact that nothing is going to happen between them. And moreover, she doesn't want to lose a friend like Stefan.

"You are just wasting the time, in which you can already be with him, make memories and everything."

"I will keep that in mind." She cut the phone before Bonnie could say anything else. Bonnie has mistaken her life to be with a book or a movie, which isn't true. She knows how the conversation like that ends in real lives. And she doesn't want to go through that route.

 _July, 2003_

 _"See, I told you that you will crack it. And you did." Caroline laughed lightly._

 _"Yeah… you did."_

 _"We should totally celebrate."_

 _"It's not such a big deal, Caroline."_

 _"Yes, it is. Come on, Stefan. Life means celebration. And the news like this, it demands to be celebrated." She talked with her animated expressions, and her hands moving with every gesture._

 _"OR…. Your other name is throwing party for no reason."_

 _"Fine, then take it in that way. But, we are celebrating." How could he say no to her? And with a smile, and shaking head, he accepted his defeat._

 _Caroline loved parties, and the preparations for it. And so her days were blessed in organizing everything. From the type of drink to the number of food items, she took care of all the things. After all it wasn't just about cracking one exam, but to be the topper of his university in the semester._

 _"Are you going to talk to him or not?" Bonnie was helping her keeping the boxes of paper plates inside Lexi's apartment. Lexi was all in for a party, and she herself suggested for the place, since it was near to everyone's place._

 _"Bonnie!" Caroline gave a warning look at her. Lexi might be anywhere nearby, and if she heard their conversation, she would be busted for no reason. Bonnie questioned her with her eyes._

 _"First of all, we will talk about this after we reach home. It's not a place to discuss… such things… you know." She mouthed Lexi's name, and Bonnie didn't say anything after that._

 _"By the way, when is Ben coming?"_

 _"He will be here in a while."_

 _They both were busy putting the things in places when Lexi came. "Do you need any help? What can I do?"_

 _"Um, we are actually done. But, you can help in putting the music CD, setting it in the system."_

 _"Perfect, I will do that. And did Stefan said when is he coming?" Lexi asked her._

 _"I texted him, but I haven't got the response yet." Caroline checked her phone again, which she had been doing for a while now that day._

 _"Same." Lexi informed her. "We haven't talked much for past few days, since I was busy visiting Lee, and Stefan never bothers me when I am with Lee." Caroline smiled when she saw the spark in Lexi's eyes whenever she took her boyfriend's name._

 _"Is he coming today?"_

 _"Yeah, he had some work to finish, after that he will be here."_

 _"Can't wait to meet him." In past couple of days, she had been talking a lot with Lexi. And she was glad that someone like her was Stefan's best friend._

 _The phone started ringing for both Caroline and Lexi, and the text was from Stefan._

 ** _Will be there in half an hour._**

 _The text was same for both of them._

 _"Lee is very lucky you know… he found you." Caroline said after a moment passed, and Lexi smiled at her._

 _"I don't know if he is lucky or if I am." Lexi looked at Caroline and continued, "He told me once, that he wants to have a forever with me… which is kind of cute. But I want to believe in today. Live it like it's our forever."_

 _Her words struck the cords in her mind, hitting her hard._

 _"Why is that look on your face?" Bonnie came back to where she was standing._

 _"I have decided." Caroline turned around to look at her, with a determination in her eyes. "I have decided to tell him… tell him how I feel about him." Bonnie gave her a wide smile._

 _"What changed your mind?"_

 _"Something about living in today." Caroline smiled to herself. She literally was counting the seconds, until the time Stefan comes._

 _Stefan came there exactly after half an hour, but then Lexi was with him most of the time, or he was with Lee, or someone else who happened to come early there. Caroline cursed every single person who were blocking him._

 _"Who the hell comes to a party this early." She mumbled to herself in anger. But there was nothing but to wait for a moment he could be alone._

 _The party was in full swing, and Stefan was happy and laughing as well._

 _"Have you noticed something different about Stefan?" Lee asked Lexi._

 _"What kind of different?"_

 _"He is not-"_

 _"Brooding?" Lexi finished his sentence._

 _"Yeah... That. What changed?"_

 _"Someone new came in his life." Lexi pointed at Caroline who was dancing in the middle of the dance floor with the foam glass in her hand._

 _Caroline was laughing and dancing with Bonnie, while Ben went to take drink for her._

 _"So, when are you going to talk to him?" Bonnie asked keeping her voice down as much as possible in the midst of the loud music._

 _"No one is leaving him alone even for one second. Like, most of the time he is happy being left alone, and stand and brood, but today he is either with him or her, or someone else." Caroline pointed to the whole crowd._

 _She glanced at Stefan, who was looking on her way, and gave a smile to her, and she flustered a little. Laughing and enjoying her best music, she was on a roll, but her laughter came to a halt when she saw Tyler coming through the entrance door._

 _"What is he doing here?" Bonnie asked when she saw Caroline frozen at her position._

 _"Maybe someone invited him." And he wasn't alone, he was with the girl with curled blonde hair in her black dress. There was no second thought that it was Liv._

 _"Good for him… he looks happy."_

 _"Caroline? Are you okay?"_

 _I am fine Bonnie, don't worry about me." And she actually feeling okay with him being there in the same room. Maybe she did moved on from him._

 _Stefan looked at her, when he saw Tyler in the party. His worried looks were enough to make her smile._

 _I am fine_

 _She mouthed, and but his posture was still stiffened._

 _Caroline went to refill her glass, when she bumped into Tyler._

 _"Hey." She met him with a wide smile._

 _"Hi."_

 _"How are you?"_

 _"I am good. How about you."_

 _"I am fine…. she looks nice." She pointed at his girlfriend who was talking to some girl on the other side of the room._

 _"Yeah… she is."_

 _"I am happy for you. I know five months are not long enough in a relation, but it's the start. And I am really glad for you." She gave him a smile, which he returned back after few seconds._

 _"Thanks. But, it's not five months. We have been dating for around two months."_

 _"Oh, but I heard-"_

 _"People like to gossip. I know her for almost five months, but it doesn't mean I started dating her right when we met. When I was with you, I was loyal to you." Tyler said in a way like there was some hidden meanings behind his last sentence._

 _"I didn't mean it like that."_

 _"And We don't need to do any small talks."_

 _"I know… I just thought-"_

 _"What? That we can go back to being friends? I don't think we can, so it will be better if you just leave me alone." The air around them started to heat up, but thanks to Stefan, Tyler couldn't continue any further._

 _"Is everything all right here?" Stefan asked, he looked at Tyler with his serious eyes. Tyler was little irritated, and so he didn't filter out the next things he conversed with Stefan._

 _"Yeah, why don't you ask her to keep everything right and leave me alone?"_

 _"Hey, she was just being nice… what's wrong with you?" Stefan couldn't understand his behavior._

 _"Oh, she didn't tell you… didn't she?" He looked at Caroline, who was way too shocked to react. Everything was happening so fast. "You remember Klaus, right. The guy whom everyone hated in high-school, the creep who almost destroyed my life, my family, just because he had money."_

 _"What's your point, Tyler?" Stefan was getting impatient with him now._

 _"I walked on her when she had her tongue in his mouth, man."_

 _Caroline couldn't move for a while. When Tyler said those words, when Stefan turned his face to look at her, she could see the disappointment all over his face. And it ripped her heart away. She couldn't stand there anymore._

 _"Enjoy the party." She managed to say those words and went straight towards the exit. The fact that she regretted her decision, never counted for Tyler. Tyler left her to take the revenge for his family, and they were not even in any relationship when the incident happened. But it doesn't matter, because the very moment she didn't cared about what Tyler said, but what Stefan thought._

 _She found an empty bench across the street, and sat there for a while. After all, how could she able to face Stefan now?_

 _"Hey, you are here…. I had been looking for you everywhere." Stefan's voice made her jump on her seat._

 _"Yeah, well, I couldn't find a rock to crawl under, so…" she laughed lightly, and peaked a look at him. He was giving her a warm smile, and she couldn't understand what he was thinking at that moment. He came closer, and sat beside her._

 _"You must be thinking I am such a horrible person, right?" she looked at him sincerely. "Give it straight to me, whatever you think."_

 _"Okay, someone has to do it, so let me do this. Caroline… you are a horrible person, you are thoughtless, you are shallow, and you are completely undependable." The moment he started talking, her laughter came next, knowing the fact that he is messing with her._

 _"Hey don't be mean, okay… I am vulnerable."_

 _"And I don't even know what guys see in you." She was laughing and smiling widely, and just like that, he took away all her worries._

 _"Let's go, and enjoy the party which we threw for all those people I don't even know. I am not paying for others to enjoy and not be present there." he motioned his head to ask her, and they both walked towards the apartment._

 _Caroline was with Bonnie, and Stefan was there as well, never wanting to go anywhere else._

 _"I hope he didn't said much." Bonnie was concerned, but Caroline shoved it away._

 _"I think it's good that he said what he said… because if he didn't, I would have never knew how over I am on him. And anyways, I am done feeling bad about whatever decision I took at that time." Bonnie nodded at her, and Stefan smiled back at Caroline._

 _Tyler was standing on the other side of the room with one hand massaging his nose, almost leaving with his girlfriend._

 _"Look at Tyler. He is looking a little weird." Bonnie commented, and when Caroline looked at him she felt the same._

 _"Yeah, his face… looks a little puffy, and swollen. Isn't it?" she asked Stefan, and he pursed his lips, as if he was keeping his lips to smile._

 _"Is it? Maybe his face is like that."_

 _Bonnie pulled Caroline through her elbow, and whispered "when are you going to talk to him?"_

 _"Soon." She looked at Stefan getting ready to tell him what she feels. "Stefan, I wanted to talk to you... can we talk?"_

 _"Sure." She was about to talk when Stefan interrupted her, his eyes on the door. "My friend has come, let's go, I will introduce you." Caroline had a wide smile all over face. In just few seconds she was going to tell him about every feeling she was having, now and before._

 _Her smile started to fade away, slowly, when her heart started to shout with crying tears…. When Stefan went to meet his friend, the girl whom he kissed … right in front of her._

 _"This is Caroline…. And Caroline, this is Ivy." Caroline tried to smile, however broken it looked._ _he day would turn like this… she never knew._


	6. Chapter 6

_Stefan was standing in the corner of the room talking to one of the guy in the party. He had no idea how so many people ended up in his party. He didn't even know most of them, apart from five or ten. Maybe free food and booze could bring anybody. His eyes went towards the door where he saw Tyler coming into the apartment, and his first thought was to check on Caroline. She smiled at him and her lips moved to make the words "I am fine", but he knew she was far from fine, or he at least felt like that._

 _His pocket vibrated and he took out the phone._

 _"Hey, where are you?" He asked Liv on the phone._

 _"I will be there in a while, I am so sorry I am late."_

 _"It's fine."_

 _"I am being a bad girlfriend, right?" Stefan chuckled and told her not to worry about it._

 _When he ended the conversation, and looked at the people surrounding him, he sighed in exhaustion. He shouldn't have let Caroline and Lexi plan the party out, because it looked to him like they invited the whole university._

 _His eyes spotted the place where Tyler was standing, having an argument with Caroline. He couldn't help himself in intervening between them._

 _The hurt on her face, the sadness was clearly visible. When she left them, he wanted to follow her, to check if she was fine, but somehow he just stood there. Instead, when Tyler shoved him away and went to the restroom, Stefan followed him._

 _"What the hell do you want, man?" Tyler asked him when he tried to block his way._

 _"That was uncalled for… the way you acted with her."_

 _"I was just saying what happened, now get out of my way Stefan." Tyler was crossing him, but in a split second, he was crushed between a wall on his back, and Stefan in front of him. With his knuckles tightened and the fist clutched, the punch was hard on Tyler's face._

 _"Drunk or not, she doesn't deserve that."_

 _"You don't even know the whole story."_

 _"And I don't want to know it, but if you behaved like this with her again, the punch won't be enough." Stefan never liked to be violent, going out of his way to fight with people. But, at that time nothing mattered._

 _When he found her outside the apartment, her face gave away exactly how she was feeling. He tried to make her smile, and he was glad that he succeeded. She doesn't deserve to feel bad._

 _When he introduced her to Ivy, he thought that he saw her face turning into a shade of blue, as if she was breaking every second. But, it was just for a moment of a second, and so he convinced himself that it was just his imagination._

 _August, 2003_

 _The vacation of two weeks was over, and couldn't wait to meet Caroline. His eyes were fixed on the door. Last time he saw her was when she threw that party for him. Since then, it has been a little busy for her. She was visiting her mom, and so they couldn't contact each other either. When her station came, he made a place for her beside himself. The train started moving forward, but she didn't came._

 _"Stefan?" He came out of his thoughts when he heard Lexi shouting at him._

 _"What?"_

 _"You almost destroyed all our hard work of weeks." Stefan followed her eyes, and realized that he was about to add 0.5mL of acid instead of 0.5 microliters._

 _"I am… I am sorry."_

 _"Where is your head right now?"_

 _"I... don't know." Lexi eyed him, but he didn't look at her, and they have to keep the Petri dish for observation. So, she kept the talk for the lunch time._

 _And when they finally finished all the set ups, she asked him to grab something to eat. He didn't want to, because he had no mood for food, but she took him anyways._

 _"So, what's the deal with Ivy?" Lexi asked him casually while chewing her French fries._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"I mean, you never mentioned her before."_

 _"Yeah, well she is my neighbor, and we talked sometimes. You told me to move on, and since she looked like a decent girl, when she asked me out for dinner, I thought I could give it a try." He was staring at his untouched burger. Lexi shook her head_

 _"What?" he asked her, with one raised brow._

 _"Nothing. She seems nice... I am glad you are moving on."_

 _"Yeah." His thoughts were occupied somewhere else, and he checked his phone for the hundredth time that day, but there was no sign of a text or a missed call. "I hope she is fine." he mumbled to himself._

 _"Why what happened to her?"_

 _"I don't know, I am kind of worried about her. It's been more than two weeks since we talked, and she isn't picking up my phone either. First, I thought she was busy with her mom, but I now its look weird to me. She isn't like this. I hope she is still not upset with what happened with Tyler-"_

 _"Tyler? Where did he came from?"_

 _"He said something, which he shouldn't have had."_

 _"Tyler and Ivy knows each other?"_

 _"Ivy?"_

 _"Who were you talking about?" she had already guessed the answer and when he took Caroline's name she had a smug on her face._

 _"Why are you looking at me like this?"_

 _"Nothing, what's with Caroline then?"_

 _He took a deep breath. "I don't know." Lexi kept her hand on his hand resting on the table._

 _"Try to call her again, or you can try Bonnie. I am sure, she will be fine. Maybe she is busy."_

 _"Yeah, I will do that. But, before that, I am going to break Tyler's nose." Lexi laughed at him, and his ignorant brain. He still couldn't see what was going on._

 _"Didn't you already punched him?"_

 _"How do you know that?"_

 _"Stefan, his face was swollen like the water melon. Who else would have done that?"_

 _Stefan smiled a little, but his worries were taken all of his mind._

 _After trying for endless time, she finally picked up the call._

 _"Hey."_

 _"Hey, Stefan! How are you?" she sounded fine to him._

 _"How are you? I have been trying to reach you, but couldn't."_

 _"Yeah, I was kind of busy."_

 _"You don't take the train anymore."_

 _"Yeah, actually they transferred me into another branch, and that one comes in the opposite direction."_

 _"Caroline-"he could hear her taking a deep breath when he called her by her name. "Are you okay?"_

 _"Yeah…" she said after a second of pause. "Yeah, I am fine. We should meet sometime. It's been a while."_

 _Stefan smiled on the phone. "Yeah, whenever you want to."_

 _"Cool, I will fix someday."_

* * *

 _"So, everything going fine?" Lexi asked him when he took the seat in the class beside her._

 _"Yeah… I guess."_

 _"How is Ivy?"_

 _"Fine, I think."_

 _Lexi looked at him with a confusion. "What do you mean by you think?"_

 _"I mean, I was a little busy, and plus I think she was busy with her semester."_

 _"And what about Caroline?"_

 _"We talked. But, I don't know something felt off."_

 _"What's off?" He looked at her, but didn't know what to answer her. "Anyways, I think she left this at my apartment during that party." Lexi handed him the floral scarf._

 _"It's Caroline's." there was a little smile on his face when she took her name._

 _"I will give it to her." He couldn't wait to meet her, and so he decided to visit her himself._

* * *

 _Her apartment came in the middle of his way back to his apartment. He took off the train, and went straight towards her home._

 _The smile was constant on his face just by thinking that he was going to see her after a month. She said that they will fix a day to meet, but somehow their schedule crashed every time they tried to plan it. And he thought it could be a good idea to surprise her._

 _He knocked her door once or twice, and chuckled when he heard her shouting "Can you not even wait for a second?"_

 _She opened the door, and when she did there was a shock on her face._

 _"Hey." He replied her with a 'hey' as well._

 _"What are you doing here?" she asked him in a surprise._

 _"I thought that I should give it back to you." He pulled out the scarf from his bag hanging on his shoulder and gave it to her._

 _"Oh." She took it from him, and gave him a smile. "I thought I lost it." Stefan's grin widened at her. "But, you didn't have to come here so far just to return me this scarf."_

 _"That's fine, it wasn't a big deal."_

 _She looked at him with a gentle smile. "Thank you." She said softly and invited him into her house._

 _"Um, were you going somewhere?" he asked her when he realized that she was dressed up which looked like it was for some particular occasion._

 _"Yeah, if you would have been late even by five minutes you would have had missed me."_

 _"Lucky me." She laughed at him, while picking her purse._

 _He was about to open his mouth when he heard another knock on the door._

 _"I will come in a second." She told him and went to open the door._

 _Stefan saw a guy on the door, who was tall, dark and handsome. Maybe her college friend or a neighbor._

 _But, when he gave her a small peck on her lips, Stefan's smile disappeared all at once._

 _"Stefan, this Jesse." She introduced them both, and Stefan shook his hand with him._

 _"You were going on a date."_

 _"No, it's not like a date. We were actually going for a movie and then for dinner. Just a casual day. You should join us." Caroline looked at Jesse, to check if he was fine with it._

 _"Yeah, you should join us. It will be fun."_

 _"No. I mean, not today. You guys should go."_

 _Caroline smiled at him, once again. "Thanks, for the scarf Stefan."_

 _He smiled at her too. But, there was a weird sensation building in his guts, which he wasn't able to recognize._


	7. Chapter 7

_September, 2003_

 _"So today's plan is fixed right?"_

 _"Yup. I will directly meet you at El Gastro." Caroline was keeping the phone between her ear and her shoulder, while checking out the bunch of mails, going through the envelopes one by one._

 _"See you." Jesse ended the call from the other line, and Caroline put the phone on the table. She was so concentrated into reading the letters, that she didn't notice when Bonnie came out of the room. It was one of their sleepovers. But Bonnie used to stay at her place most of the time._

 _"Are you leaving already?" Caroline's eyes were still on her letter when she asked her._

 _"How do you know that I was going?"_

 _"Bonnie, I don't have to look at you to know the details about you, okay."_

 _Bonnie laughed at her adorable best friend, and took the couch beside her. "I can tell the same, you know."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _Bonnie waited for her to look straight at her, and when she didn't she snapped her fingers in front of her. "Hey when I talk to you, look at me. Don't try to hide okay."_

 _"I wasn't… I wasn't hiding anything."_

 _"Of course you weren't. So did you called Stefan?"_

 _"I did, and he looked kind of busy."_

 _Bonnie raised an eyebrow waiting for her to tell more. Caroline released a deep sigh on the silent persistence of Bonnie. "Stefan is a really good friend of mine. Kind of best friend. I can't believe in just few months, he became kind of close to me."_

 _"And?"_

 _"And I don't want to lose him. I really don't know why, but nowadays we don't have much time for each other. When I am free, he is not and when he is… well, I really don't know if he is even having any free time. Maybe he is just busy with studies or Ivy."_

 _"And you are okay with it?"_

 _"Yeah." Caroline told her with the straight face, and Bonnie could exactly read her eyes. And looked like she really did moved on. "Look, Stefan is a really good guy, and I am with Jesse now. I would rather keep him in my life than to whine about the little crush, you know."_

 _"When did you grew up so much?" Bonnie put her one arm around her best friend, and pulled her closer in a hug._

 _"I will never grow up for you Bonnie Bennett."_

 _"Good for me." Bonnies started to laugh when Caroline bumped her elbow into her stomach softly._

 _"Weren't you leaving though?"_

 _"Oh, yes. Stop making me late for work Caroline." Bonnie said in the way mimicking someone familiar, which Caroline couldn't let to slip from her observation._

 _"Were you mimicking someone?" she narrowed her eyes._

 _"Why? Did it looked like I was?" Bonnie threw a question back at her while walking towards the front door._

 _"Whatever!" Caroline rolled her eyes and stood up to get ready for her own work._

 _"Care?" Bonnie was standing on the door, when Caroline turned around. "You deserve the best of the world."_

 _Caroline grinned at her, and replied "We both do."_

 _/\_

 _When Caroline met Jesse in the evening, he smiled and looked at her as if she was the only girl he ever have seen on this world._

 _"You look gorgeous." He commented when they took the booth side of the restaurant._

 _"Thanks." Caroline returned a smile._

 _"You are making me feel like I have never seen the girl in my whole life." Jesse chuckled, and Caroline almost chocked containing her laugh. People have flirted with her. But the cheesy kind of lines never worked on her._

 _"So, is this how you flirt with other girls?" she raised both of her brows, teasing him._

 _"Ha, I wish I could flirt like others. But, I am kind of a serious guy."_

 _"Why are you saying that?"_

 _"Tell me about yourself, something that I don't know." He deflected the question to her instead._

 _"Well, my life is sometimes very exciting and sometimes it's so tragic, I feel like throwing up."_

 _"It can't be more tragic than mine."_

 _"Well there are instances."_

 _"Like?"_

 _"I sucked at mathematics in high school." Caroline started._

 _"I dropped out of one of the class."_

 _"Well, I am a control freak with insecurity issues."_

 _"I am over-possessive about my things."_

 _"Like, my own boyfriend who had issues in his family business and went for a revenge path and left me, and when he came back he thought that I was making out with his mortal enemy. Beat that." When she blurted the truth out she felt like it was the four glasses of wine talking at the moment._

 _"Well I actually caught my girlfriend making out with my best friend."_

 _Caroline looked at him in silence, nothing to say in words to him. "People usually leave me." She said softly._

 _"Something in common, it seems." Jesse held her hand, giving it a light squeeze and gave her a sly smile. "At least, Stefan seemed nice though."_

 _Caroline's mind went numb on his name. Apart from Bonnie, and other common friends, Jesse had met Stefan as well. And it surprised her that out of all of those people, he chose to take particularly Stefan's name._

 _"Yeah… he is….. He is one of the best people I know."_

 _Jesse nodded slowly, smiling once again as if he knew more than he was showing her._

 _/\_

 _When Caroline reached home, she finally checked her landline which had ten voicemails. All belonging to the same voice, the one she was dying to listen to. Not because she still felt something, but because she missed her friend._

 _Hey Caroline, it's me Stefan. Just wanted to check on you. Call me back…_

 _Hey, it's me again. I was really busy lately so couldn't call you. Hope you are doing fine…._

 _Hey, once again me. You must be thinking that I am bugging you or something, but it's been half an hour or so, and you usually call me back when get the message…_

 _I hope you are not avoiding me?_

 _You don't think I was avoiding you right? Because I wasn't._

 _Ca-ro-line, just take the call already._

 _Or are you busy with Jessssss_

 _Caroline's mouth was a little open in a shock. Stefan had left one sentence voice messages on her phone. And by the end of the messages, his voice was slurred and she knew that he was drunk calling her._

 _She called him back, and after ten seconds or so she heard his "Hello."_

 _"Hey, did you called me?"_

 _"Where were you?" He jumped straight on the question, making he frown._

 _"Uh I was out at the dinner."_

 _"With Jesse!" The irritation was prominent in his words._

 _"Stefan, are you drunk?"_

 _"What if I am?" his voice slurred once again._

 _"Why were you drunk calling me then?"_

 _"Because you are my best friend. And you are ignoring me."_

 _Caroline's heart raced as if she had been running for a while. Best friend! Stefan had never called her his best friend. They were good friends, close to each other, the high-school classmates who met after a while, and ended up being friends. But, when did she became his best friend?_

 _"And moreover you are trying to be with someone who is not your type."_

 _"Stefan, I have called you lately but every time I did, you were busy." Keeping the thoughts aside she continued._

 _"But… But you didn't come to see me either."_

 _"You could have done that too, you know."_

 _"I did, you know. I came to meet you. And when I came, you were going out to on a date." He pressed on his last word._

 _"And how many times did I called you after that Stefan? God, Stefan we both were busy, what's your point."_

 _"Never mind."_

 _Caroline snapped at his tone. "You know what Stefan? I hate you for ruining my peaceful night for me. We will talk when you are not drunk and when we can have a normal conversation."_

 _And without furthering the talk, she cut the call. Her one hand automatically went on her head, keeping it straight. She was getting confuse at Stefan's behavior._

 _Neither Caroline tried to call him, nor did he._

 _/\_

 _It had been a week since she talked to him last, which wasn't a good one either. She took the basket from the aisle of the grocery story, and went straight to the ice-cream aisle. She was looking for one particular flavor, which wasn't anywhere to be found, and that was making her cranky. Not like there were not many other things occupying her mind at the moment._

 _"Are you looking for this one?" She heard the guy talking to her from one corner. She turned around, with wide eyes. Tyler was smiling at her, with the tub of Choco-chip truffle in his right palm. It was a common flavor but the product company mattered to her._

 _"Tyler!" the name came as a sigh from her mouth, when he put the ice-cream in her basket. "What are you doing here?"_

 _"I was waiting here for the basketball match to start." Tyler rolled his eyes and smiled. "Of course I am here for taking out the grocery."_

 _"You don't do grocery." Caroline laughed nervously, trying to think past the awkwardness. Last time she met him, he went all wolf angered person on her._

 _"People change all the time." It was nice to see him smiling and conversing with her with not that much of an uneasiness._

 _Caroline answered him with her shy smile._

 _"So what's going on?" he asked her._

 _Caroline raised an eyebrow, as her mind was going to their last conversation back in the party, and he sensed that as well._

 _"I am sorry. I shouldn't have behaved the way I did with you. Anyways you find the good in people, so…"_

 _Caroline frowned at him. He still was oblivious to the fact that even though she was drunk, and even though she was standing so close to Klaus, she didn't kissed him. He just assumed it by the way they were standing, and he was still holding on to that. She was tempted to tell him that he was wrong about her, but then her brain told her, what's the point, and she backed off._

 _"How is Stefan?"_

 _She snapped out of her thoughts when she saw him talking._

 _"Good… I don't know, I mean, we have been busy lately, and didn't have much time to talk to each other." He paid for her ice-cream, and they headed out of the door._

 _"Well, I didn't know you two…. You know."_

 _"No, I don't actually."_

 _Tyler was confused on her reaction. "Are you two not dating?"_

 _"Who told you that?" her eyes went wide and he could clearly see the vein on her forehead popping out._

 _"No one, I just assumed it."_

 _"Well, we are just friends."_

 _"Oh." The confusion became more visible all over his face. "Well, I have to run now. Liv is waiting at the apartment for me."_

 _"Sure."_

 _"Nice to see you, Caroline."_

 _"Yeah… same." Caroline looked up and cursed under her breath. "Are you testing my patience or something? Why the hell everyone is jumping on this assumption, when there is NOTHING happening between us. Ugh." She stomped her feet and went straight towards her apartment. She needed to have that ice-cream even more now._

 _/\_

 _"Bonnie, stop pulling me into this."_

 _"Come on Caroline, from work to home and home to work. The Caroline I know, doesn't do that."_

 _"So what does she do?" Caroline crossed her arms in front of her chest._

 _"SHE knows how to live the life, SHE can make even a boring stone lively. SHE knows how to make things fun."_

 _"So, you decided to drag me in this stupid carnival!"_

 _"Hey, it's not stupid okay. Let's remember the high school time, and ride off our worries for today, shall we?" Bonnie dragged the not so interested Caroline again, even though she scoffed on her._

 _Caroline and Bonnie almost bumped into Stefan and Lexi on the way, and the air around them started to feel weird._

 _"Hey, I didn't know you are coming here as well." Lexi went for a hug with Caroline, while Stefan stood at his position as if glued to the place, and his eyes fixed on Caroline._

 _"Breathe Stefan." Caroline heard Lexi whispering to Stefan._

 _"Hey." It took him a century to say one syllable word to Caroline, and she replied him with her "hey" as well._

 _"God, you and your heys. Don't you have anything else to say?" Lexi's complaints were synced with Bonnie's nods._

 _Caroline waited for Stefan to say something. She was still angry at him for letting her go just like that, ignoring her as if her friendship didn't mattered. And moreover he could do the drunk call but he wasn't able to talk to her straight now. When Stefan remained silent, it irked her even more._

 _"Nice to see you, Caroline." Stefan started again._

 _"That's it?" Caroline snapped, which was the beginning of her statement. "That's what you have to say after meeting after like ages. "Nice to see you." I mean, you can ignore all of my calls and my voicemails, and one day I miss your calls and you get drunk and blame me for ignoring you."_

 _"Caroline," Stefan looked around to see the faces of Lexi and Bonnie, whom Caroline has forgotten were standing there. "Caroline, I am trying okay."_

 _"You are trying?!" Caroline laughed humorlessly. "This isn't trying okay. This is far from trying. Anybody of my friend could have bombarded with me here. It was coincidence that we met here otherwise you were not even trying to talk to me. At least Tyler knows what apologizing means."_

 _Stefan frowned at his name. "Yes, Stefan he apologized. I was shocked but that is something I call TRYING, okay. So, don't say that you are trying or something." Caroline took a breath after the endless words she threw on him, like it was on the brim and was waiting to explode._

 _Stefan nodded, looking away from her, and turned around, leaving everyone standing there. That was the moment Caroline realized the other company around her, when they stared at her in exhaustion._

 _"What?" she asked them in the same angry tone she used on Stefan._

 _"Caroline, you shouldn't have said that." Bonnie's face was serious and Caroline didn't know why her own friend was not taking her side._

 _"Why? Did I said something wrong?"_

 _"Yes, Caroline you did."_

 _"God, Bonnie, as a friend you should be taking my side not his."_

 _"I am not taking side Caroline, but you shouldn't have said what you said about Tyler."_

 _Caroline remained silent, because she knew there was something off about the topic, something she didn't know._

 _Bonnie sighed and continued. "Stefan and Tyler had a fight."_

 _"What? When?"_

 _"At the party. When he misbehaved with you, apparently Stefan punched him."_

 _Caroline's heart stopped at once on the new information. It was hard to sink in the news. "Since when did you knew about this?" she asked her slowly._

 _"I heard someone talking about this by the end of the party."_

 _"And you are telling me this NOW?" Caroline's anger shifted from Stefan to Bonnie. She turned her face to look at Lexi. "Did you know about this as well?"_

 _"Caroline, the whole party knew about the tiff. Hell, even the mirrors of my washroom knew about it."_

 _"Also, bringing you here in this carnival was kind of his idea." Bonnie's words were hard to digest now. "He knew that how much you love such kind of things, I mean Carnivals, and festivals, and he also knew your hectic schedule these days. He just wanted you to have some relaxed time and have some fun."_

 _Caroline's eyes found Lexi, pleading for a helping hand. Yes, Stefan did avoided her, but her whole speech about him not trying was eating her now._

 _"Don't look at me. Your mess, you both solve it." Lexi held her hands up, and Caroline knew that the only person she had to find now was Stefan._

 _She looked for him everywhere, and finally when she found him sitting on one of the bench, she took a breath in relief. Without any word, she took the seat beside him, sitting inches away from him._

 _"You should have told me… about Tyler, you know."_

 _Stefan looked at her in confusion, as if she was talking a bird language. "You punched Tyler."_

 _The frowned head smoothened, and he took his eyes off of her and buried in his hands on his lap. "I didn't do it to let you know about it." He mumbled the words softly._

 _"Why did you do it Stefan?"_

 _He looked back at her, like she should know better than to ask him the mere question. "Because he was wrong, and he shouldn't have had talked to you like that."_

 _Caroline could feel the lump in her throat, and her eyes itching to drop the tear developing there. But she contained them. "I am sorry for the way I talked before." She turned her face to look straight._

 _"You were right though. I should have been trying."_

 _"You were trying-"_

 _"I should have been trying harder then. And I am sorry for drunk calling you that night. I shouldn't have done that."_

 _The night was glowing with the lights of the carnival, and even though there was the hustle of the public around them, the only voice that mattered to her right now belonged to him._

 _"Just tell me you have accepted my apology, and then you won't have to deal with me."_

 _"Is that what you think I will do?"_

 _"I don't know… you tell me."_

 _"On one condition." Caroline saw him frowning on her words. "I will accept your apology, only when you will accept mine."_

 _Stefan chuckled on her answer, and she did the same. For a minute the silence started to crawl into their space. Since when were the words so difficult for her to phrase into a sentence?_

 _"When you told me that you hated me… that was pretty much the worst thing I had heard… in a long time."_

 _Caroline couldn't help herself but to look at him, and feel guilty for speaking that word for him. "To tell you the truth, I never really hated you… and I don't think I can ever hate you, Stefan."_

 _His looks lingered on her and stayed longer than she ever thought._

 _"So, are we friends again?" He asked softly yet cautiously not wanting to read too much into the things happening._

 _Caroline laughed and wrapped her hand on his hand, on the bench. "What do you think dummy?"_

 _Stefan laughed as well but it was more like the sighs he took, releasing the tension, relaxing his muscles._

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey long time right. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks to all of you who are reading this, and were waiting for the update. Love you.


	8. Chapter 8

_Despite all the buzz from the street, the night felt silent and numb. He has been sitting at the same position for almost an hour, staring at one tiny spot on the kitchen wall. His hands were busy rolling the empty can of coke on the kitchen platform. Even his open kitchen was feeling claustrophobic. His eyes drifted to his flashing phone, the same name coming over and over again. Practically, he should be sitting in his lab, and working on the paper due for next day. But, there he was, sitting and staring, mostly staring at anything which wasn't his phone. He wanted to throw away the phone, just because he couldn't handle that her name was flashing. His hands moved and grabbed the chilled beer bottle, which he took out but didn't go for. He needed something strong to deal with the heart squeezing ache he was feeling. Okay, maybe it was an exaggeration, but the sensation wasn't pleasing and he wanted it to get over. His place looked nothing but an eyesore to him at that very moment. When after like five or ten times, the phone stopped buzzing, he realized the broken pieces of his phone, crashed on his wooden floor. He cursed himself, not because the mobile phones were expensive, but he wouldn't be able to see her name on the phone again. Caroline! He never gave a thought on her name, the way it sounded, as if it had its own musical note to it. Ca-ro-line. How perfect it sounded on his tongue, when his own lips whispered her name, it echoed in his hollow walls._

 _"What was that noise?" Ivy came into her house at the same time when he threw away his phone. "Did you just threw away your phone?" The confusion was all over her face. She couldn't understand his recent behavior. He had been happy with her, living a decent life, but in the past few days, she had seen him sitting absent-minded._

 _"No, I just dropped it." He lied to her face, the thing which he has been doing more often lately. "It's fixable."_

 _"Are you having September blues?" she tried to ease the tensed air around him, but he didn't respond._

 _"Just some work stress." Diversion to work talk always helped him in escaping the talks he never wanted to have._

 _"Anyways, I brought Chinese food." Ivy put the take-out box on the platform, beside his empty booze bottles._

 _"Great!"_

 _"God, I am so hungry right now, I can eat the whole damn thing." Ivy kept talking while opening their dinner boxes._

 _With one swift motion of two fingers, he swept his dinner box of Tso chicken towards her. "You can have it."_

 _"Not that hungry, huh?"_

 _"Nope…"_

 _"But, you have to eat something… or else you will fall sick." She kept talking in between her munches, but his mind was stuck, as if he was blocked in a traffic from all directions, and he couldn't even move his bones._

 _"By the way, there is this great restaurant right across the street, La De Carolina"_

 _"What did you just said?" The iris in his eyes divulged, and he turned his head towards her._

 _"The restaurant… across the street…. I was talking about the restaurant."_

 _"Oh."_

 _"Stefan? Are you all right? You have been distracted these days." He could see the concerning painting her face. A surge of guilt rushing through his bone made his heart beat faster. The reason behind that guilt is still mysterious to him._

 _"Yeah… Yeah I am fine." He lied once again, and she didn't push him anymore either._

 _She might have had asked more questions, so he decided to eat the dinner she bought, to keep the questions at bay anyways._

 _Whatever the hell was going with him, and his mind, it was driving him crazy and it needed to stop._

 _But it didn't…_

 _And it didn't stopped at Ivy either to attract attention to himself._

 _"What the hell is going on with you?" Lexi encountered when he came running late into the lab, and started putting his lab coat on._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"You have started coming late to the classes, you have stopped hanging out, and also you have started a tendency of being a lethargic and being locked up in your apartment._

 _"I like to stay IN my apartment sometimes."_

 _"Correction! It's not sometimes but most of the time these days."_

 _"Whatever!"_

 _He doesn't want to argue with her, or to talk to anyone. Unlikely of Lexi to let it go so easily._

 _"Stefan-"she starts but was cut with his ringing phone._

 _He stared at his buzzing phone, the one he broke a few days back, and fixed it later. He didn't want to, but then he missed looking at her name, and thus, he just fixed it anyways._

 _He swallowed when he saw her name coming on his phone once again._

 _"Are you going to take the call or what?" He heard Lexi asking the question his heart had been asking to his brain._

 _"Or are you ignoring her?"_

 _"I am not… ignoring her." His hovering thumb on the green button pressed it finally, and he brought the phone near his ears._

 _"Hey…"_

 _His heart stopped for a second when he heard her rose silky voice. He didn't realized until now how much he had been missing her voice._

 _"Hey"_

 _"Finally we can talk. I have been trying to reach you for last few weeks. Everything all right?"_

 _He could sense the worry all over her face, and that didn't make him feel good._

 _"Yeah… Yeah everything is fine. I was just a little busy so couldn't take your calls. Sorry."_

 _"That's fine… I was just worry if something happened to you."_

 _The smile involuntarily came on his face. The thought of her getting worried for him was making him feel happy and guilty at the same time. Guilty because of the lie he was giving her, and happy because… his thoughts wondered for a while for reasoning of him being happy for her worries._

 _"I am fine, Caroline." His heartbeat made a jump when he heard himself taking her name. It felt like an eternity since he called her name out loud._

 _"So you are not avoiding me?"_

 _"I am in a lab." He knew if he kept talking to her, she would figure out his lies, and so he just went with the safe facts._

 _"Oh… I am so sorry, I called you in the middle of your work."_

 _"It's fine." But, it wasn't fine with the battle his brain was having on whether he should or he shouldn't avoid her._

 _"Okay, I will call you later then. And when you are free we will talk."_

 _"Sure."_

 _"Goodbye, Stefan."_

 _He didn't want to say goodbye, because now it was feeling real more than anything._

 _"Caroline?"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _He thought for a while before saying "Take care."_

 _He could hear her sighs clearly on the phone. As if she was almost expecting him to say something else, anything other than that "take care."_

 _"You too." She disconnected the phone, and he was back at staring at his phone._

 _"What the hell was that?" Lexi rested her elbow on the lab platform in front of them, while raising an eyebrow on him._

 _"What was what?"_

 _"That" she eyed his phone. "Are you guys fighting or something?"_

 _"No." "Look, let's just wrap this experiment okay, we have a lot of work to do."_

 _Lexi sighed and put her hands in air in defeat. There was no point arguing with Stefan, because he doesn't even wanted to talk._

 _And that was the last time she made an attempt to call him…._

 _Not the last time for him to call her though._

 _Days passed with molasses speed for him. He wasn't paying attention to his work, or sleep, or food, or even his girlfriend. He knew Ivy didn't deserved that and he had to keep his head into his life. He was making a big mess out of nothing._

 _And when he took the phone to finally call her back, it went in the voice machine. His impatience wasn't paying off well, and thus, one after another, he left a bunch of voice mails to her. He never realized when he became so drunk and talked to her bitterly._

 _When he woke up with the migraine in his head, he felt awkward and guilty for calling her. The conversation from the last night rolling over and over again in his head, which was coming to him in bits and pieces now._

 _He saw her calling him, and when after a second his fingers found the receive button, he picked up the phone_

 _"Hey, did you called me?"_

 _"Where were you?" His mouth was working faster than his brain, and when the words jumped out of his mouth without any notice, his brain cursed him._

 _"Uh I was out at the dinner."_

 _"With Jesse!" His tongue did it again, and this time the irritation made its way with the words._

 _"Stefan, are you drunk?"_

 _"What if I am?"_

 _"Why were you drunk calling me then?"_

 _"Because you are my best friend. And you are ignoring me."_

 _He paused for a second and continued. "And moreover you are trying to be with someone who is not your type."_

 _"Stefan, I have called you lately but every time I did, you were busy." Keeping the thoughts aside she continued._

 _"But… But you didn't come to see me either."_

 _"You could have done that too, you know."_

 _"I did, you know. I came to meet you. And when I came, you were going out to on a date."_

 _"And how many times did I called you after that Stefan? God, Stefan we both were busy, what's your point."_

 _"Never mind."_

 _"You know what Stefan? I hate you for ruining my peaceful night for me. We will talk when you are not drunk and when we can have a normal conversation."_

 _That was the last from her he heard, and that was the last call he did to her that month._

 _Hate… she hates him. It shouldn't hurt, but the floating ache bursting in the middle of his chest was painful. It felt as if he was going through something he never went before. Just one word from her, left him into such a state._

 _When his worried friend crashed in his place, he couldn't let her into his problems._

 _"Stefan… if you won't talk to me about what is killing you, then how will I help you?"_

 _"It's nothing Lexi…"_

 _"Yeah, right. Look at yourself in the mirror and then tell me." When he didn't say a word, she tilted her head, as if she knew what exactly was happening to her best friend, and was waiting for him to realize by himself. "Is this about Caroline?"_

 _Like an alarm, his head popped up at her, when he heard the name. "What about her?"_

 _Lexi shook her head, taking a step forward towards him, and took a seat beside him on the sofa. She didn't have to say anything else for him to tell her more. When she put her hand on his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze, he sighed, and looked down at his hands._

 _"She said… she hates me."_

 _"I am sure she didn't mean it."_

 _"I drunk called her."_

 _"You did what now?" by the shock on her face, he could imagine that how put of character he must have had behaved._

 _"Yeah, I did, and said some things which I shouldn't have had. And now she hates me."_

 _"Stefan, she might be angry. That's why she said that. You should talk to her."_

 _"I am not calling her unless, I am sure I won't screw up things again."_

 _"And by that you mean?"_

 _"I mean, I am going to make things better for her first..._

 _"You are an idiot."_

 _"Tell me something I don't know."_

 _And when they met in the carnival, things did resolved between them. He got his friend back, the one who became his best of the friend in such a short span of time. That was the day when he finally smiled the way he had been smiling since he met Caroline Forbes back in the train._

 ** _October, 2003_**

 _They have got on being friends once again, and so he didn't want to ruin anything. He guarded himself in talking about stuff like, Jesse, and her dating someone. And since he was dating someone else as well, he decided to pay more attention to his dating life as well. And since, she had stopped taking the train he took, there was less time when he used to actually meet her, but their conversations on the phone started to prolong._

 _When he called her once in the weekend, he could hear her muffled voice clearly._

 _"Caroline… what happened? Is everything all right?"_

 _"Yeah…" she said slowly, but then her yes became a no, when she sniffled._

 _Panic attack started to rush on him. "I will be right there."_

 _"What? No…. it's just when Monica proposed to Chandler, I couldn't help the tears. It's so beautiful."_

 _"Who?"_

 _"FRIENDS Stefan… it's a show. God you should increase your horizon in watching the television."_

 _Stefan chuckled in relief. "Well, I am good…. But I can watch it… with you."_

 _"You wanna binge watch? The last season is on the run right now, we can do a re-watch of season 1 to 9."_

 _"I don't have the disc though."_

 _"Then leave it..."_

 _"I think Mrs. Robinson have the disks. She have a lot of shows and movie discs, I can borrow that from her" He said instantly. "Wait, I will be back."_

 _"Are you sure? But it's raining heavily."_

 _"Caroline, she is in the same building as I am."_

 _He went to ask for it, but unfortunately, the door was locked. He wasn't going to give up so soon though. He prayed for the shop across the street to be open. He came out of the building, and couldn't even see anything one feet away from him because of the heavy rain. He put the hoodie over his head, and made his way towards the shop._

 _"So do you have the discs for show called "Friends", I need all the seasons."_

 _"I don't think this shop has the disc for that show, but you can check out the shop on the Jefferson Street."_

 _"That's like five blocks away."_

 _"Yup, that's the one."_

 _Stefan sighed, and came out of the shop. He could have just went back to his apartment and told Caroline that he was unable to arrange the disc, but he walked towards the other shop. He almost cursed the shop when even they didn't have the show disc._

 _He looked around in many places, and finally he did have all the seasons. Exhausted and drenched in the rain, he reached back to his apartment._

 _"Hey..."_

 _"Hey, back. So, it took you a long time. Did you went to another country to arrange the disc?" she laughed jokingly. Ironically, it did felt like he went to another planet to get the discs._

 _"No, Mrs. Robinson wasn't letting me go."_

 _"Oh."_

 _He didn't say about where and in which corners of the streets he went for those discs, because for some reasons, his brain stopped him in looking like a desperate fool._

 _During the whole show, they were on the phone, and when they both dozed off into sleep while watching the show, their phones were still on._

 _"Hello?"_

 _He heard her creamy voice in his ear, melting like a chocolate. "Hey." When he heard his own croaked voice and saw the break of the dawn, he realized that it was morning, and their phones were still on._

 _"We dozed off." She said probably stretching herself._

 _"Yeah… yeah we did."_

 _"We will be late for work. I gotta go. See ya Stefan." even though they used to see each other less lately, it was her habit of saying goodbye like this, and he liked it._

 _The smile was wide for some reason which he couldn't anticipate. Maybe his heart and brain finally were agreeing on the fact that he felt really chirpy that morning. He wondered if it was because of the reason that he woke up with her voice in his ear, as if she was there with him the whole night beside him. Even the thought of that made him shiver. His brain virtually smacked his head, because Caroline was his friend. And nothing more than that could happen between them._

 _"Someone is in a good mood today." Lexi smirked at him._

 _"Oh, really?" he played back._

 _"Looks like, the dating with Ivy is hitting off well."_

 _The smile dropped off from his face._

 _Ivy!_

 _He had almost forgotten about her. And like a sixth sense, he got the text from Ivy at the same instant._

 _"Busy?"_

 _He didn't texted her back, but called her instead._

 _"Hey, what's up?"_

 _"Nothing much, actually I wanted to tell you something."_

 _"What?" his eyebrows furrowed on the way Ivy was talking. It didn't give him a good vibe._

 _"Actually I bumped into Caroline today. And we were talking and everything"_

 _"So?" Stefan was confused for how could it possibly be a bad thing?_

 _"And Jesse was with her as well, so I might have accidentally suggested for a double date… which is on this Friday by the way."_

 _"Oh."_

 _"I am so sorry, Stefan. I should have talked to you before making the decision."_

 _"Hey, it's fine."_

 _It wasn't_

 _"It's not a bad idea."_

 _It was the worst idea._

 _"Friday then?"_

 _"Friday it is."_

 _He looked at flask in his hand, thinking of how he is going to survive the double date. He thought that he was fine, but now that he has to actually witness them together and cozy in front of his eyes was making things worst for him, and he started feeling sick all of a sudden._

 _"Why are you looking so pale?"_

 _"Huh?" he forgot that he was with Lexi, and he blanked out in the middle of his experiment. "I uh, nothing, I am fine."_

 _He wasn't though. He was terrified by the thought of how the hell is he going to survive the date now._

* * *

A/N : Thanks to all of you who are reading and loving this one. I hope this chapter made you happy. What are your reviews?


	9. Chapter 9

**_November, 2003_**

 _The sudden breeze came in her way, when she was cutting the onions in her house. Onions, and tomatoes, and mushrooms. She was making the special sauce Stefan taught her once, and she never tried making it. She had kept her windows open for a while and the end of Fall coldness suddenly hit her. The diced mushrooms were swirling in the saucepan, in which she was moving her spatula clockwise. She tasted it from the corner of her spatula. And when her taste buds started to activate, she realized it was not even near the essence of Stefan Salvatore's sauce. Her phone rang and she picked it up in one heartbeat._

 _"I was just going to call you."_

 _"Oh, my my, Caroline Forbes was going to give me a call."_

 _The giggles came instantly on his reaction. "Shut up. I am here in a crisis mode, okay."_

 _"Well then, younger Salvatore is in your service ma'am. What can I do for you?"_

 _Even though she couldn't see his face, she could sense the quivers of his lips, turning into the tinkering smile washing his face._

 _"Someone is really in a good mood today."_

 _"Because someone is having a good day."_

 _"Well, good for you, because it is so not a good day for me."_

 _"Why? What happened?" He was back to his serious tone in a split second._

 _"I was trying this sauce you prepared once, and I think I am missing some ingredients. The taste is so weird right now."_

 _"I know what you are missing."_

 _"What?"_

 _"The magic of my touch."_

 _"Shut, up." She laughed again. "What's wrong with you today? Why are you having fun in teasing me?"_

 _Stefan didn't answer but joined in her laughter. "I will give you the recipe?"_

 _"Really? But, isn't it like your grandma's secret recipe or something?"_

 _"It is!"_

 _"Then… why should you give it to me."_

 _"Because, you know you are my best friend." There, the mention of a best friend. Caroline could feel that, he has been calling her that for a while now. As if, trying to give a specific name to their relationship. "And, because I trust you that I know you won't sell it to anyone else."_

 _"Ooooo that's a really good idea. I can earn good money out of it." If he can tease her, why can't she._

 _"Oh, and what about me?"_

 _"What about you?" she played more._

 _"What about my share?"_

 _"I will credit your name."_

 _"And that's it?"_

 _"Okay, Fine I will give you thirty percent of the profit."_

 _"Oh, I have enough, you know. Family property and all."_

 _"Then what else do you want?" The lines on her forehead crumbled in confusion._

 _"I don't think you will be up for what's there in my mind."_

 _Her heart started to race not because Stefan was talking to her, but because there was something in the way he talked. Friendly yet something she couldn't define in words._

 _"Well, there is nothing in this world which Caroline Forbes cannot do." The smug on her face was crystal clear. She never gives up on anything, and she knows it. Everyone around her knows it._

 _"That I know. But my challenge is kinda not your type."_

 _"Fine, let me know the challenge on our double date, and then I will be so ready to laugh on your face."_

 _Caroline waited for a response, but there was none. She thought the call got disconnected, but she could see the time still moving on her phone. It was weird for him to go dead silent on her all of a sudden. It's not like she said something offensive._

 _"Um… hello? I am still here you know…. And not talking to walls in my apartment."_

 _No response…._

 _"Hello? Stefan?"_

 _"Uh, yeah!" his voice came shakily. "I am sorry, I kinda zoned out."_

 _"In the middle of a conversation?"_

 _"Yeah, sorry for that. I was, uh, working on my assignment."_

 _"Everything okay?" something felt wrong._

 _"Yeah… everything is fine."_

 _"Alright, I have to go, but I will see you on the Friday night."_

 _"Sure… Caroline?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _A beat passed, and she still waited for whatever he was going to say. "Take care."_

 _Caroline knew, he always did it when he wanted to say something and will end the conversation with something like this._

 _"You too."_

 _But she has stopped making herself overthink about everything. At least that's what she thought she has been doing._

* * *

 _"Caroline?" Bonnie called her once she came into her apartment._

 _"In here…."_

 _"Woah… what the hell is wrong over here?" Bonnie's eyes widened at the status of Caroline's room. It was a mess, like the disaster one. Everything in her room was disorganized, with books, and her purses on the floor. Bonnie found Caroline on the corner of her bed, bend down, looking behind her bed frame._

 _"Uh, what is going on? Caroline!"_

 _"What?" She turned around to look at her once, and then went back to dunk her head under the bed._

 _"You are freaking me out. What is with this mess?"_

 _"It's all your fault." Caroline looked at Bonnie, pointing her finger directly where Bonnie was standing._

 _"What did I do?"_

 _"Oh, remember like few months back, I came for an advice… that I am being confuse for what I feel for Stefan and everyone around me."_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"And YOU told me, and I quote "oh, if you are getting so confused, try writing it down on a paper. It will clear your head out. Write ALL the feelings you feel."_

 _"And that was a bad because…"_

 _Caroline sighed in exhaustion, and stared at Bonnie, sitting on her knees, and looking at the condition of her room. "Well, I did as you said, I wrote about my girly little crush I had been having for Stefan. I… WROTE… EVERYTHING."_

 _"I still don't get why is it bothering you now?"_

 _"Because, I put it somewhere, and lost it. I don't forget stuff. I am such an organized person, and yet I am not able to remember where I kept that damn paper."_

 _"It must be here somewhere in your room."_

 _"Yeah, well it's not here Bonnie. What do you think I have been doing since this morning?"_

 _"Okay, fine… Calm yourself down now. And anyways, even if it's not here, and hidden somewhere, how does it matter? I mean, it's not like Stefan will come with a search warrant for your apartment."_

 _Caroline glared at Bonnie, as if she said something Caroline had been dreading. "And what about Jesse? What if he found out there was some kind of feelings."_

 _"Wait… you haven't told him about this?"_

 _"No, and come on, it's not like we were dating or something. It was all one-sided thing… and if I would start telling him about all those Tom, Dick and Harry on whom I have a crush in the past, it will take a whole night, or week maybe."_

 _"Yeah… but Stefan is not SOME guy, Caroline. He is your friend… and more precisely, your best friend. And Jesse should at least have a hint about it right?"_

 _"Why should I bring the past, Bonnie? I will tell him when it will feel like the right time."_

 _Bonnie sighed in her defeat. Day by day, Caroline have been becoming stubborn, and the only person who could convince her for anything was Stefan. "Fine, just tell me… where I should look for you love letter."_

 _" a) I love you…. And b) don't call that a love letter."_

 _/\/\_

 _Caroline fell on her back, the spring in her bed, making her whole body swing for a second. "I give up!"_

 _"Don't worry, you will find it." Bonnie joined her, and fell flat on the bed. "It's just a paper, it doesn't have its own legs that it can run away you know."_

 _"Yeah…"_

 _"But seriously, I can't believe you lost a piece of paper, while you gave me a lecture on how to tidy up things last week."_

 _"Hey… no one is perfect okay."_

 _"Or, maybe Caroline Forbes is just losing her touch."_

 _"HEYYY! Now, I am officially offended." Caroline mocked, and got a smack on her right arm. "Owwww… It HURTS Bonnie."_

 _"Then behave yourself!"_

 _"I will.. but first, I am gonna take a quick nap."_

 _"Oh, riiiight… your double date is today."_

 _"hmm…"_

 _"So, it's all cool now? I mean you and Stefan going with their partners to the double dates."_

 _"Why shouldn't it be?"_

 _"No reason."_

 _Bonnie didn't push her, but now Caroline started feeling uncomfortable with the thoughts she had been having for last few days. She sat up, and Bonnie mimicked her waiting for her to talk._

 _"I have been having a nagging thought in the back of my head." Caroline started, but couldn't get the words out. Bonnie raised her eyebrows, encouraging her to continue._

 _"Lately, I am feeling like there is something… something different about the way Stefan talks to me."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"I don't know." She was losing her thoughts. "I mean, I don't know how to explain it." She wasn't able to specify the different behavior she had been witnessing. "I mean, I feel like something has changed…. Maybe from his side."_

 _"Caroline-" Bonnie shook her head, and Caroline knew what was going to come next._

 _"No, Bonnie, I swear. I have felt it. There is… definitely… something, which is not same."_

 _"And maybe the only thing that changed is… that you became his closest friend. I mean doesn't he call you his best friend?"_

 _"Yes… but he is more open to me now… I mean he teases me, laughs with me."_

 _"Does he laugh with Lexi as well?"_

 _Caroline thought for a while. "Yes… he laughs with her too."_

 _"See, there is your answer…. Just, don't read too much between the lines, Caroline."_

 _Caroline's face fell down. She should be relaxed, but it looked as if she wanted things to be different, like she wanted to see that Stefan is behaving different with her. "I think you are right."_

 _"Caroline, I didn't want to make you feel down for this. I just don't want you to get hurt again." Bonnie took her hands, and gave it a soft squeeze._

 _"I know… and thanks you, for clearing my head." She really needed to stop overthinking._

* * *

 _Around seven in the evening, Jesse came to pick her up. She had decided to go with black jeans, and her favorite red top. She put the scarf around her neck, and wore the jacket before coming out of her room._

 _"Wow, you look gorgeous."_

 _"Thank you. By the way, Stefan and Ivy are meeting us directly in bowling center."_

 _They drove, and reached at the meeting point in about fifteen minutes. It wasn't even a second, when she spotted him. It wasn't that hard for her. He was wearing his usual black jeans, and the leather jacket, underneath which, she could see the white shirt. He loves his James Dean style, and she likes it over him._

 _Focus!_

 _She snapped herself out of her thoughts. Stefan is a friend, and she is with Jesse. She reminded herself, and decided to concentrate only on the good part of the dinner._

 _"Hey." Stefan came around the moment he saw her._

 _"Hey." She smiled back at him._

 _"I was telling Stefan to choose some other place, because I totally suck at bowling." Ivy pointed at the bowling aisle._

 _"Oh, it's easy… don't worry, you can learn it pretty fast. I will show you… I am a good teacher." Caroline offered, watching him from the corner of her eyes and Stefan chuckled in return._

 _"Anyways, we are not going to stay here for the whole night." Jesse informed them. Caroline's eyes roamed towards Stefan, and she thought that he turned his head at the same moment, like a reflex._

 _"Why? Is there some place in your mind?" Stefan asked Jesse._

 _She had started seeing things now…_

 _She smacked herself once again._

 _"We can go for clubbing." They took a corner booth for four._

 _"I, uh, I don't dance." Caroline knew it would be the reply from Stefan._

 _"Yeah, I mean, I have no idea what I have to do, to make him dance with me."_

 _"Well, he is your boyfriend, he is bound to dance with you." Caroline said before Stefan could have had said something. She could feel his eyes on her. He was silent in the conversation, but she wanted to know what he was thinking, because last time she talked with him, he wasn't being so gloomy._

 _"Tell him… not me."_

 _"Hey, why is it turning into 'pick on Stefan day' today?"_

 _"Because you should dance, you know. It's good for health."_

 _"Caroline is a good dancer." Jesse intervened and broke the stared they both were giving there._

 _"Yeah… yeah she is."_

 _"How do you know that?" Jesse and Ivy asked at the same time._

 _"I… uh, we both went to same high-school, and she was pretty much a good dance then."_

 _Caroline's eyes forgot to blink, when she heard him. She couldn't believe he remembered something about her from high-school. When she thought he never noticed her._

 _"Wow, you must be famous back then." Ivy gave her an awkward smile._

 _"No, I wasn't."_

 _"Liar." Their heads turned around Stefan. "I mean, she was the founder of most of the clubs, right?"_

 _"Wow, my girlfriend is an all-rounder." Jesse put his arms around Caroline, pulling her close towards himself. The touch wasn't genuine but like he was making a territory around her. And she didn't like it._

 _"Talk about yourself. You know, he was the star of our football team. And almost every girl wanted to be the girlfriend of Stefan Salvatore." Caroline laughed._

 _"Not every girl." She heard him mumbled. Or that's what she thought she heard. But, she had made her mind that she won't think over and over about what he says._

 _"Okay, we can talk while playing as well." Ivy said after finishing her beer._

* * *

 _"So, this is going good so far." Caroline looked at Stefan from the corner of her eyes._

 _"mhmm…" He nodded once, and went back to gulping his can of bear. The nods and the lick on his lips, were totally off, as if he was trying to keep the eye contact as less as possible._

 _"We should do this more often."_

 _"What? Standing beside each other like this?" This was after a long time he looked straight at her. The looks almost intense as the depth of the oceans, and the smile lingering on his lips like he wanted to say more than what he was implying in the simple words._

 _"No… I mean the double dates you know." Caroline tried to steal the looks at him again, but he had turned his head away from her now, and was looking straight at her girlfriend, who was having some hard time in bowling. Stefan should have been helping her girlfriend, teaching her some tricks for the game. Instead, he was there, sitting beside her, in the stillness of silence._

 _She waited for a reply, and response from him. But, he was too busy in his own thoughts. Or maybe he was just letting the conversation slip away. Today for the first time, it was feeling hard for her to read his face. It was like a stone without any edges, too solid, and too opaque._

 _Jesse and Ivy were arguing over the ways of throwing the ball._

 _"You should go to your girlfriend you know, teach her some tricks." She mouthed the thoughts that developed a mere second ago._

 _"I think your boyfriend is teaching her just fine." He smiled at her. As if he was determined to not leave Caroline standing there._

 _"Well, it is my turn next." Caroline sighed, and went towards Jesse. She can't do complications. And moreover, Jesse is what should matter to her._

* * *

 _"I am really interested in photography." Ivy said when they walked towards the parking lot._

 _"Really? You should check out my university. It's really known for arts." Jesse and Ivy had really been comfortable talking to each other the whole night. And they both were walking in front of Stefan and Caroline._

 _Caroline tried to take part in the conversation, but every time she did, they jumped into some other topic, and every topic was out of her interest._

 _She felt like Jesse was purposely trying to ignore her. Maybe there was something in her behavior that made him insecure. This thought and million thoughts like that started to crumble in her head, and it was making her feel awful now._

 _"Caroline?"_

 _She turned her head at Stefan. He was concerned for her, and by the look on his face, she assumed that he had been calling her for a while now. "Are you okay?"_

 _"Yeah! Yeah I am fine." she fake smiled. The one no one can see through. Not even Bonnie. She was good with that pretentious smile._

 _Stefan nodded once, but didn't say anything else._

* * *

 _"So, you and Stefan…" Ivy started._

 _"Me and Stefan? What about us?"_

 _"Well you both looked like really close."_

 _Caroline smiled at her, still trying to avoid the talking._

 _"You should stop pretending to yourself, you know." The words caught her attention._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Come on, Caroline. You obviously have a thing for him. You practically cut the food for him today."_

 _"What? Me? Him? No? I mean… we? No ways? I am.. he is … we are just friends." Caroline kept on blabbering._

 _Stefan and Jesse were waiting on the ice-cream counter, while Caroline started to hyperventilate._

 _"This is so not the thing which is going on, okay." Caroline rephrased her sentence finally._

 _"What is not going on?" Stefan asked when they came back._

 _Caroline knew for sure now, Ivy will tell Stefan what she thinks, and ask him to stop being friends with her. After all, which girlfriend would like her boyfriend to be friend with someone on whom she has a doubt? And Stefan will listen to his girlfriend and break their friendship. Fear started to creep into her head._

 _Her attention went to the ice-cream cone Jesse was handing her over._

 _"You… you brought me a tiramisu?"_

 _"This is your one of the favorite flavor, correct?"_

 _"How do you... Know that?" It was her secret favorite flavor, the one no knew about. And it was almost a shock for her that Jesse picked the particular ice cream for her._

 _"I think I am a good observer." Jesse smiled at her, but her head did a forty-five degree turn, staring at Stefan._

 _"Thank you." The words came out for Jesse, but the expression on Stefan's face confirmed her that he knew whom she was thanking._

 **To Be Continued...**


	10. Chapter 10

**March, 2004 (Present day)**

Stefan looks at his watch, waiting for his bus. He had missed the last bus just by one minute, and now if he didn't take this one, he might make her wait on the station. Good for him that she is running late. He chuckles remembering about how desperate he must have sounded in the morning when he called her. A second thought passes his mind, the one which Lexi successfully put in his head. It isn't the first time she was pestering him for some unreasonable discussion. It took him like a lifetime to realize what he really feel for Caroline. Okay, maybe he was exaggerating, and one year isn't that long to fall for someone. But, he did. And that too without even realizing the part where he started to trip and fall, and once the truth hit him, he was deep into the pit of a love-struck sickness. Now what can he do about the heavy truth he has been bearing over his heart, having the love which wouldn't be reciprocated, a love that doesn't have any home to go to. He looks down, concentrating on his shuffling shoes. And why would she even like him on the first place. After all, she awarded him for being the broodiest person on the world.

"Talk to her, Stefan. You won't lose her… and I am sure about it."

Those were Lexi's words to him. But, he is sure that he will lose her if he tells her anything about the things going in his head.

Friend!

That's what she has always been calling him. And why would a girl full of life will choose him, a guy who can define grumpy on a whole new level. It's not the first time that his mind struggling, and reminding him of the sour truth. But, what else can he do. He was too chicken to admit the feelings to him. Maybe he would have had, but her friendship is on stake, and she is way too important for him to loose.

His eyes follows the busy traffic of the Madrid streets moving all around him. The exchange students in his university have always been excited to see the beauty of this city, which he never recognized. It was kind of normal to him. Buildings, scenery, greenery…. That is what it was to him… Until she became the part of his existence. Now it's just not a scenery but the soothing beauty, because every second, it reminds him of her. This is the city, which brought her in his life. How can he not be thankful about it?

He has his personal sunlight, a Caroline Land, where he goes and forgets anything and everything about the worries.

Impossible is the word defined in the dictionary, which suits the fact that, someone like Caroline Forbes can ever fall for him.

"I don't think about her in that way, because she is my friend."

The reminder buzzes in his head as if it has been kept on a five minute snooze. He sighs shaking the thought away. He has to stop thinking about her like this, which was the second reminder, which, his heart opts to ignore every single day.

* * *

 **November, 2003**

 **(In the middle of their double date, as she called it)**

 _He stared back at her in that moment, a fear engulfing him into a pit, the kind of fear which can create a sensation of fluttering butterflies in stomach. For a second, he thought that she saw talking to him, but when she turned her head and smiled back at Jesse, his confusion was made clear. There was no way she would have had find out about the suggesting help he offered to Jesse for picking up an ice-cream flavor which she could like. She giggled more, leaning into Jesse, and since there was nothing else to distract him, he decided to sip the beer bottle in his hand. He shook his brain from her thoughts. It was insane. Constantly, thinking about her, obsessing over her every move. This isn't the person he is._

 _"You are not having ice-cream?" It was Ivy who interrupted his thoughts._

 _"Oh Stefan isn't fond of ice-creams." Caroline said before he could have answered. She was still lost in her own scoop, indulging herself in the taste._

 _Stefan looked at Ivy and Jesse, who have weirdly the same kind of expressions on their faces._

 _"I, uh, don't like ice-creams that much." He replied back, because the look on their faces was making him uncomfortable._

 _"Who doesn't like ice-creams?" Ivy smiled awkwardly, turning her face from Caroline to Stefan. Caroline didn't even realized that the people around her were staring at her before Stefan talked._

 _"I know right! I tell him the same thing ALL THE TIME." Caroline's eyes were wide, and expressions animated. That brought a ray of smile on Stefan's face._

 _"Looks like you guys know everything about each other, what even your girlfriend and boyfriend doesn't know." Jesse laughed looking at Caroline. Stefan's head turned on his side, confused at what he was trying to convey._

 _"Uh, well we have been friends for so long, and have spent some good amount of time with each other, that maybe we just pick up some of the behaviors." Stefan could see the worry on Caroline's face. He couldn't understand the reason behind it though._

 _"I don't know, it's not that long enough compared to when we met."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"I mean, that… it's not about how much time passed after meeting someone to get to KNOW someone. If your heart wants, you can know everything about someone." He can feel the sarcasm coming from Jesse's mouth crawling all over his own skin. Maybe he should stop suggesting stuff to him, or it might get problematic for Caroline._

 _"Uh, well yeah sure. But, you know me as well. This ice-cream being the proof." Caroline answered him with a confused smile, pointing her finger at the cup in her hand._

 _Damn it!_

 _Stefan cursed under his breath. That wasn't the reply Jesse was looking for. And he knew it._

 _"Uh, so Jesse tell us about yourself. I heard you are studying medicine as well." Stefan thought changing the subject. That should work._

 _He thought._

 _"Yeah, I am interested in neurology. And looks like Caroline's interests is in doctors!" He dragged the topic back to her. Stefan frowned at the way he was talking._

 _"Uh… what?" Caroline was still sitting with a big question mark on her face._

 _"Well, I am just saying that maybe… she has a thing for doctors."_

 _"Maybe I have a thing for you." Caroline fluttered her eyelashes on him, stabbing Stefan right in the middle of the chest at that very moment._

 _"Maybe I am just a distraction!" Jesse was still smiling at her, but there was something more to that smile. Stefan could see the nagging thought all over his face._

 _"Maybe you are just drunk." Caroline looked like trying hard to be calm._

 _"Truth hurts… doesn't it?"_

 _"I think we should call off the day!" Caroline was about to burst into anger. Thus, she took a deep breath and looked straight at Jesse._

 _Stefan didn't know what to do. He wanted to help, but he really doesn't know what was happening between them._

 _"Yeah, it's late anyways. We should go too." It was Ivy this time who talked. Stefan's eyes stayed at Caroline, trying to see through her. He kept looking in her direction, praying for her to make an eye contact with him. But, she didn't look back. When did this night turned out to be so messed up?_

 _"Stefan!" Ivy called him once again. He kept staring at Caroline, but there was no reaction from her side._

 _He said a good bye. But, she didn't respond. Neither of them… not that he cared about Jesse though._

 _He stopped at the exit, turning back to look at her. For some reason, he didn't want to leave her like that. But, it was the matter between her and Jesse, and his meddling will bring nothing good. He peeked one last look at her, and wished that things resolve between them. However selfish he wanted to be at that moment, all he needed was for her to be happy._

* * *

 _"So you are still not gonna tell her?"_

 _His hands were cramped on the steering wheel, and the grip became way tighter after hearing Ivy. "What do you mean?"_

 _"How thick are you Stefan?" Ivy shook her head, and he could see her side view from the corner of his eyes. "Or are you just lying to yourself about everything."_

 _Stefan turned his head towards her. "Caroline, I really don't know what you are trying to say!"_

 _Her hands slipped in the darkness of the night, enclosed in his sports car, finding his sitting on the steering._

 _"You know exactly what I am saying." she gave his hand a soft squeeze. "After all this was our last day as couple, right! That was the deal…"_

 _Even though the street light was dim, he could clearly see her glistening eyes, and he was blaming himself for this. He wanted to call off the date, but she insisted on going, because she had already made plans for the dinner._

 _"Although, I would like to have one last thing from you." She leaned in to steal a soft kiss, brushing the lips on his._

 _"I am sorry… for hurting you."_

 _"It's okay… it wasn't like you promised to love me for eternity or something…. or even to love me for the matter."_

 _He couldn't say anything to her, because there was nothing he could think of saying, which might make her feel better. He saw her opening the door on her side, and stopping in mid._

 _"By the way, stop calling others as Caroline. You have started slipping very often these days Stefan. Your Caroline is still oblivious about your feelings. So, give yourself a favor, and put yourself out of this misery."_

 _Stefan stared in the vacant air around him, Ivy was long gone, but her words were constantly poking him. He sighed loudly, and wished if telling her, accepting it would have been easier than said._

* * *

 _He put keys of his apartment in his key bowl and walked inside without switching the lights on. Because if he did, he might see the exact spot where he broke up with his girlfriend twelve hours before, and he would remember the face she had at that time. But it's all over now. He didn't want to think about the mess he has created in his life. However, he couldn't help but worry about Caroline though._

 _He fell flat on his bed, and took out his phone, staring at the screen. He thought of messaging her, to check if she is doing fine. Being wide awake in the middle of the night was not doing any good to him. At the end his brain started to stop thinking, and his fingers took over his actions. Within a minute, he had sent the message to her._

 ** _Everything fine?_**

 _He hit the button, and waited for a response staring at the ceiling. The phone buzzed in a while._

 ** _Yeah. Everything is fine._**

 _The answer was plain and simple._

 _He asked once again._

 ** _You can talk with me about anything if you want. You know that, right?_**

 ** _Yes, I know that Stefan. And everything is good._**

 _The second message followed the first after no longer than a second._

 ** _And if you are worrying about Jesse, then don't. Everything is sorted._**

 _He should feel relaxed. After all that's what he wanted. She confirmed it that all is well now. What else was he expecting it to be? It's not like just because he is single, then she should magically get single as well. And he didn't want that to come true as well. A part of him at least doesn't want it. But, now the other part of his brain and heart, the one which wants to be selfish, which doesn't care anything about who and what Jesse is… that part is being paranoid now. It's a battle in his head._

 ** _Good to know. Take Care!_**

 _It was really good to know that he has to convince his heart otherwise now, tell it to stop thinking about Caroline all the time. Finally, he was aware of the fact about his feelings, but there was nothing he could do anymore…_

* * *

 _"So…. How was the last night?" Lexi asked when she took the chair beside Stefan in the class._

 _"It was fine."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because something looks off on your face." She looked straight at him, while he looked away, trying to dodge her stares. "So, are you gonna tell me or do I have to start guessing?"_

 _Stefan sighed and closed the book he was trying to study for the past hour until Lexi came. "Ivy broke up with me."_

 _He could see that little shock on her face. "Well, that happened pretty fast."_

 _From the tone he couldn't tell if it was genuine or her sarcasm. "So, you predicted for this to happen?"_

 _"Obviously! Stefan... you and Ivy were not a match."_

 _Stefan nodded._

 _"When did this happened?"_

 _"Last to last night."_

 _"You mean right before the double date?"_

 _"Yup"_

 _"And you still went to the date?"_

 _Stefan didn't reply her back, and she waited for him to answer. Her stares were killing him, and with every second it was getting harder._

 _"Ivy asked me to."_

 _"She asked and you agreed?"_

 _"Yeah, what's a problem in that?" He finally snapped._

 _"Nothing… boy, fine. I was just asking. Don't get too worked up on it. I won't ask any more questions."_

 _"Thanks!" he gave her a fake smile and went back to his studies. But, he could see the smug on her face. And it was driving him crazy._

* * *

 _It was a coincidence, a luck or just that she knows his schedule so well that she called him the moment his class was over._

 _Or maybe she just sensed that he was thinking about her._

 _"Hey."_

 _"Hey. Is your class over?"_

 _An involuntary smile came on his lips. "Yeah, it just got over."_

 _"Hmm…"_

 _"So… what's up?"_

 _"Nothing…. I just wanted to talk. And apologize for last night. I am sorry it became a little weird at the end."_

 _"No... Don't be. Its fine… sometimes it happens." Stefan walked out of his class, and stopped at the corner. "So, I hope Jesse is fine now."_

 _"Yeah, he is fine. Don't worry." She paused for a second before continuing. "So, how is Ivy?"_

 _"She is good."_

 _"I hope she didn't say anything about last night." Her tone was implying as if she wanted to know something, like she wanted to clear some doubts._

 _"No… no, she didn't."_

 _"Good… that's, uhm, good!"_

 _"Why? Should I know something?"_

 _"No… I didn't mean that. It was… nothing."_

 _"Okay."_

 _"Stefan, I have to go… I will talk to you later."_

 _"Sure." Stefan was feeling off about her. "Caroline?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Are you sure everything is fine?"_

 _She was silent for a moment, and it was making Stefan worry. "Caroline!"_

 _"Yeah… yeah… okay I gotta go."_

 _"Okay." And before he could say a good bye, she ended the call._

 _"So, you have decided to just pretend that nothing happened, and you are still with Ivy!" Lexi was coming towards him._

 _"When did I said that?"_

 _"But, you lied about your break-up to Caroline."_

 _"I didn't…. I didn't lie about Ivy and me. I just didn't tell her about our break-up, that's it."_

 _"And the reason being…?" she prompted him again._

 _"Lexi… don't you have anything else to do, other than asking million questions to me."_

 _"Fiiine, why are being sour. I was just asking."_

 _Stefan sighed because, he knows the questions Lexi was asking weren't illogical. She was right. He was trying to hide that one truth from Caroline. He should tell her about the break-up, but for some reason, he didn't._

* * *

 _He was walking on the street, when he got the call. He was about to bump into the street lamp poll._

 _The screen was flashing Caroline's name._

 _"Hey."_

 _"Walk properly or else there will be a bump on your head."_

 _When she said that, he turned around him, and found her waving at him from across the street. She smiled and walked towards him._

 _"What are you doing here in this neighborhood?" all the worry which had been eating him up for few days, just vanished the moment he saw her. Last time he saw her, she was still the one who make a fluttering sensation in his stomach, and who was still in a relation with someone._

 _"Well, I was at Bonnie's place. She, uh, she stays nearby."_

 _Stefan nodded at her. "It's been few days since we met."_

 _"Yeah, since that awkward double date from world of awkwardness." She laughed nervously._

 _"Yeah… that." He smiled as well._

 _"Dinner, huh." She eyed the take out packet in his hand._

 _"Yeah, I was not in a mood of cooking today." It wasn't even a second that his heart took over his brain in thinking. "You wanna have coffee at my place?"_

 _"At this time?"_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"But... Your dinner?"_

 _"It can wait!"_

 _By the looks on her face, he was sure she was going to reject the proposal. He should be fine… its not like she would be rejecting his proposal of life, and he wasn't asking for it as well._

 _"Okay."_

 _"w-what?"_

 _"Let's go. I am in."_

 _That glitter of happiness sprinkled on him when he heard that simple yes. The selfish monster inside his chest was roaring, wanting her for no one but himself._

 _"There is a café right across the street. We can go there."_

 _"Sure."_

 _"So, how is Bonnie?"_

 _"She is good. Been busy with her Teacher's qualifying exam."_

 _"I never knew she wanted to be a teacher."_

 _"Yeah… I think she will be a great teacher."_

 _"I am sure she will be." Under the night sky, he couldn't help but stare at her. The way her eyes were twinkling talking about her friend was mesmerizing. "What about you? How is your job going on?"_

 _"It's going great."_

 _"Good… liking the new place."_

 _"New place?"_

 _"Yeah… you just moved in this new location, right?"_

 _Her eyes went wide for a moment, as if her head was trying to calm her down. "Uh, yeah… yeah. But, it feels like old place to me."_

 _"Hmm…"_

 _They were at the door, when he saw the lines on her forehead all crumbled. A fear changing to a shock… it was all over face. Stefan turned his head towards the line of sight in which Caroline's eyes were stuck. And his head burst as if he was hit by that lamp street. He saw Ivy in the café, kissing someone, and that someone was none other than Jesse. Stefan looked back at Caroline. He had no idea how she had been feeling. She must be devastated to see her boyfriend cheating on her._

 _When Ivy and Jesse separated from each other, their eyes collided with them standing there._

 _"Stefan." Ivy looked at them, and smiled a little. "Nice to see you."_

 _Stefan pressed his lips in a smile._

 _"We were actually leaving, but it was nice to see you both. Bye Caroline." Jesse politely smiled. And when Caroline smiled back at him, Stefan started to understand the truth._

 _It wasn't any longer that they were left alone once again._

 _"So… are you going to tell me now or should I wait?" Caroline was the first one to break the silence._

 _"Tell you about what?"_

 _"You and Ivy broke-up!" she crossed her arms. "When were you going to tell me about it? You lied to me."_

 _"I didn't lie. And you didn't say anything about Jesse either. So, technically you lied to me as well." Stefan pointed._

 _"I didn't… I didn't lie." Her voice was high- pitched which usually happens when she tries to hide her emotions. And Stefan knew that._

 _"Oh, really!"_

 _"Yeah, I mean I said that-"_

 _"Caroline"_

 _"- everything is fine-"_

 _"Caroline"_

 _"-which means everything is fine-"_

 _"Caroline"_

 _"-I just… said the whole truth."_

 _"You done?"_

 _"Yup… I am done."_

 _"You are okay right?"_

 _"Are you?"_

 _He didn't realize in his worries for her that she could worry for him as well._

 _"I am fine."_

 _He opened his mouth to say more, but she beat him to that._

 _"You know what, it's getting a little late. I should go now. I will see you later. Bye."_

 _Before he could say anything else, she was gone from there._

* * *

 _"So, she is single once again. You got your golden ticket Mr." Lexi took the chips and put it in her mouth._

 _"Lexi… please."_

 _"What? I am just saying… THIS is your chance. Now please don't waste it like you did in the past."_

 _Stefan looked at her from the corner of his eyes, but didn't respond._

 _"Did you talk to her?"_

 _"Not after last night."_

 _"Don't you think you should?"_

 _"Lexi, I will call her, when I want to."_

 _Lexi made a face, but didn't fight him back. Stefan turned his head at her, when he sensed that she was too silent._

 _"Lexi! What is cooking in your head?"_

 _"Nothing… I have to go. Ciao."_

 _"Lexi… lexi." He held her wrist to stop her. "Don't you dare to do something stupid." He warned her, but he knew that his words have no power over her._

* * *

 _Stefan was in his lab late night, working on his experiment. His phone buzzed when he was almost done putting the flask in the incubator._

 _"Where are you?" Lexi's voice was loud._

 _"Lexi? Are you in a pub?"_

 _"It's Friday night. I am not a bore like you, of course I am in a pub."_

 _Stefan chuckled at her. His friend was totally wild in the weekends. But his chuckles were interrupted from the voice in the back of Lexi._

 _"Whose voice is that?" he frowned. The voice was familiar, and in a matter of seconds he figured it out. "Is that… Lexi, is that Caroline?"_

 _"Uh, why not. She isn't a bore as well."_

 _"…is that Stefan? Give it to me…" he hear Caroline's voice in the back._

 _"Stefffan. Where are you?"_

 _"Caroline… are you drunk?"_

 _"Well, duh! You know… I am having… I am having fun. This is real fun."_

 _"I am coming there." Stefan took out his jacket and went straight to Caroline._

* * *

 ** _Hit me with your best shot,_**

 ** _Why don't you hit me with your best shot…_**

 _Stefan's eyes went wide to see her in the middle of the stage. Brown jacket, and a laced dress with the brown boots, she was looking stunning on the stage. She was breathtaking, and ironically he forgot to breathe._

 _With each words, she started to unzip her jacket, and threw it to the audience._

 _"She is stripping!"stefan's mouth opened at the scene he saw. "Lexi… I am gonna kill you." He moved towards the stage._

 _"What did I do?" he heard lexi saying that, but he didn't wait to reply._

 _When he went on the stage, Caroline smiled at him in the middle of her song. "Stefan! GUYS… this is Stefan… Stefan Salvatore. And he is my best friend. Are you gonna sing as well?"_

 _"NO… no I don't sing."_

 _"Come on Stefan, be a sport and sing with meeeee. By the way you are looking hot!" she turned around to face the audience. "Isn't he hot?"_

 _Stefan looked at everyone with a little embarrassed smile. His cheeks were turning red. For the first time, she said that to him. Did she actually thinks that he is hot? Just a thought of that was making him giddy._

 _"Caroline… lets go."_

 _"What... No. I am not going, I am having so much fun."_

 _Stefan took her hand to take her out of there, but she wasn't convinced to go yet._

 _"Okay…oookaaay, I will… I will go, when… you sing. Siiiing Stefan Salvatore."_

 _Stefan hated singing. He was bad. Really bad. And being in the spotlight for that wasn't the best thing that was happening._

 _"No, I am not gonna sing! I will do anything but sing. I don't like it, I hate singing. So, nope I am not singing."_

* * *

 _Lexi was in the burst of laughers for the past thirty minutes._

 _"Shut up."_

 _"Stefan, I really can't believe you actually were singing there."_

 _"Didn't you heard…? I said shut up!"_

 _But Lexi didn't. Neither did Caroline._

 _"Well I liked it." Everyone stopped laughing when Caroline said it._

 _"Really?" Stefan asked her._

 _"Yeah, why not…." Stefan chuckled at her. Even in her drunk state, she was the cutest girl in that whole pub._

 _"Let's go." She whispered in Stefan's ear._

 _"Where?" he whispered back._

 _"I know a place."_

 _"A place called home?" Stefan wanted to take her home safe before she could have more shots and get sick._

 _"Shhh… not home, just... come." She took his hand, and moved out of the crowd towards the exit._

* * *

 _"_ _Stefan?"_

 _"_ _Hmm?"_

 _"_ _Why are you so good to me?" Her voice was soft and melodious in the scarlet night that wrapped around them. She was swinging her legs, sitting on the periphery of the bridge, right beside Stefan, shoulders touching and every breath slow and steady._

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _You KNOW what I mean…. You have always been so good to me, being the knight in shining armor, saving me from evil- evil life."_

 _"_ _Evil life?" Stefan chuckled at the description she gave to her life._

 _"_ _It is pretty evil, you know." Her eyes were wide with the serious look he had ever seen on her face. Stefan chuckled again and looked down, staring at the water underneath the bridge. Festival season was near, and the whole city was lighted and glowing, but to him the most shining thing was sitting right beside him. The only problem was the fact that if he dared to touch that light, he might lose it forever, which he couldn't afford at any cost._

 _The laughter from her side, brought him back to present._

 _"_ _You know you are spinning!" the giggles came in between her words._

 _"_ _Uh... what?"_

 _"_ _Stop moving Stefan… I feel like looking at two Stefans… OMG there are two of you!" Her two fingers went up in front of his eyes, making him chuckle even more._

 _"_ _I think I am drunk."_

 _"_ _You think?!" He raised an eyebrow at her, when she just shook her shoulders._

 _"_ _Did I ever tell you that you should smile more often… you look hot."_

 _His breath stopped in his lungs, when he heard that. Even though this was the second time in a single night she complimented him, it still gave him goosebumps._

 _"_ _Yeah... yeah you did."_

 _This time she giggled so hard, that she almost lost her balance. Almost…. such a funny word. Because, to save her from her almost fall, his hands instantly went to her waist, keeping her still in his grasp. Her head bumped on his shoulder, making them both laugh. And when she turned her head up, he could sense something more in her eyes. He felt like drowning in the depth of those blue oceans. Shoulder to shoulder, and leg to leg, their body was in total proximity. In the instant of that moment, his heart almost skipped a beat. And when she leaned in, every second felt like hundred years. His brain went numb even before he could realize what was happening, she was really close to him, closer than he ever thought he could be to her. Inches away, he could feel her breaths freezing his mind, and with every reflex in the muscles of his body, his eyes slowly shut close, giving into the moment._

 _He could feel her smile so close. The time slipped in, and he felt he head bumped on his shoulder. When he opened his eyes, he saw her passed away. He chuckled at the blonde beauty in his arms. No one better than him can have the worst luck of the world._

 _"_ _Let's take you home, Miss Caroline Forbes." He said that to the sleeping head. And when she laughed lightly, he thought that she heard him. But, he was sure she didn't._

 _After reaching her home, she still wasn't walking straight. So he put her on the bed._

 _"_ _Drink."_

 _"_ _What is this?"_

 _"_ _Water… Caroline how much drunk are you?"_

 _"_ _Why? Are you scared that I might take advantage of you?" she straight up flirted with him, and it was all those shots she consumed._

 _"_ _Why? Should I be scared?" he teased her back, and he saw her cheeks turning red. The best scenic beauty ever. "Its water, Caroline. Drink it."_

 _"_ _Stefan… I have to give you something?"_

 _"_ _It can wait till morning."_

 _"_ _No…it's already been so late! I wanna give you now." she turned to the table on her right side of her bed, and picked up the book. "I have this book for months now. I should have had returned a long time back."_

 _"_ _You can keep it Caroline, its fine. A gift from me."_

 _"_ _Are you kidding me? Isn't it the first edition or something? Take it," she pushed the book to his chest, and he couldn't do anything but laugh._

 _"_ _Okay, I will take it. Now just go to sleep."_

 _Stefan saw her closing her eyes and going into deep sleep. Maybe it was a good thing that nothing happened on the bridge. She might have had regretted it in the morning, which he wouldn't have had liked. Maybe being friends is what written their fate._

* * *

 **March, 2004 (Present day)**

He was looking for bus schedule in his bag when he found that novel sitting inside there. He took it out and stared at him. For some reason, that novel became even more special, as if it belonged to his heart. It was just a feeling though. He turned his head to look at the street again. Looks like the buses are delayed. So, he decided to walk instead. He starts to walk, but at the turn, he bumps into someone and drops the novel in his hand.

"I am sorry." He tells the stranger and picks up the novel and starts to walk again.

"Excuse me?" the guy called him. "I think you dropped something.

He was holding a white sheet of paper in his hand. "I think it dropped from that novel."

Stefan frowns. He has never seen that paper before, and he never put any paper as a bookmark as well. "Thanks."

He looks back at the folded paper. He opened the sheet, and it bewildered him even more because it was some kind of a letter addressed to him.

* * *

 **A/n:** so I hope this chapter was worth the wait I made you all do. I really hope you guys enjoyed it :) keep loving it.

P.S. I did a mistake in the present time line as it was suppose to be 2004 and I wrote 2003. So I have updated the chapter :)


	11. Chapter 11 Part 1

**"If you love something dearly, let it go… and if it comes back to you, it is rightly yours."**

* * *

 _"Stefan?"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"_

 _Even in her state, she could clearly hear his chuckles. It was the moment after her request that she felt his hand squeezing one of her hand and transmitted the warmth all into her body._

 _"I am here as long as you want me." The words were echoing in her ear, but she never came to know whether he actually said it or if it was her head imagining stuffs. Before she could inquire about the reality, she drifted into a deep sleep._

* * *

 _It wasn't long when the morning light hit her, and her head was thumping like the shotgun inside her brain. Even though her eyes were shut, she could hear the cars driving outside to full speed, the birds chirping not so quietly. She loves morning, but right now she would pay anything for it to turn into a night and let her go back to sleep. She turned on her back, trying to adjust her body best so that she can shut the outside noise, but it was in vain. The fact that she was feeling worst she ever had in her entire life was making everything miserable. Okay, maybe she was exaggerating a little in her mind, but it was if not worst, then a really bad hangover. Last night was just a blackout. Not that she wanted to concentrate on remembering it at that time._

 _"My head hurts." she moaned, holding her head still, but didn't like to move an inch out of her bed. Although the sudden noise made her react otherwise._

 _clunk… clunk… clunk._

 _At first she thought that the beat was in her head, but when the noise didn't stop, she jumped on her bed at once. Her eyes were still shut, trying hard to open up and proceed towards the source of the noise. Her squinted eyes fell on the clock on her right side of the bed. It was ten in the morning, and even though in the past she had drunk slept, she had never woken up so late._

 _"I am breaking my own records." She moaned again, but the repeated noise brought her back to the reality._

 _"Did you wake up because of the noise?"_

 _The voice came from the door-side, and even if she didn't look at him, she knew exactly to whom that voice belonged to. She could guess that voice even in her dreams. Her eyes were shut in a hope that it was just a dream, and Stefan couldn't be there at her place. What will he be doing there in the middle of the morning?_

 _"You okay?" Stefan asked her when she remained quiet for longer than usual._

 _"Ye.. yeah, I am okay." Slowly she turned her head up to look at him. Stefan Salvatore, standing in her bedroom, a sentence she never thought of saying in her entire life. "Uhm, so you are really here!"_

 _Stefan smiled and took one more step inside her room so that he was standing right beside her bed. Slowly he sat at the corner of the bed. "Yes… I am really… here."_

 _"when, uhm, when did you came here?" She looked at him from the corner of her eye, and she was sure that he was raising an eyebrow at her, as if there were oceans of thoughts going in his head, but he wasn't making it into words._

 _"Caroline… how much do you remember about last night?"_

 _Stefan's question made her uneasy. "Well, I remember that Lexi called me to come to a club with her. So, I remember going there, and I definitely remember drinks." She rubbed her forehead trying to remember more than that. "And then everything is-"_

 _"Blacked-out!" Stefan suggested, and she had nothing but to nod slowly in agreement._

 _She sighed. "Yeah… that." But now, a more pressing question was sitting right in front of her eyes. How and when and why did Stefan came to her. By far she knows that Lexi was alone, and it was supposed to be some girls night out for which she invited her in. And, thanks to Bonnie, who apparently had to ditch her at the last minute, Caroline went by herself. Not that she cared. She can make friends anywhere and can indulge in any kind of group. And right now, that's not even the concern. The big question in front of her was, what the hell she did last night that was making Stefan questioning her like this._

 _"Well, you should probably take this." He handed her one glass of water and the advil. "And probably eat something before taking the medicine."_

 _Technically he didn't reply to her question, and instead brushed it off._

 _"You were here the whole night, weren't you?" It wasn't hard for her to figure it out now._

 _Slowly, Stefan sat right beside her on the bed. "Well, how could I have had, when you took my hand and held it as if you were not going to leave it forever."_

 _Her heart was doing that thing when it starts to jump right inside her chest, and it was almost going leaping out high as he took her hand and enacted what she supposedly did last night, holding her hand in between his._

 _"Uhm, I am so sorry Stefan. I mean, I shouldn't have done that."_

 _"And when did I said that I minded it?"_

 _Caroline thought she might have had gone deaf at that statement, or maybe it was just her ear playing with her. "What?" The reaction came out involuntarily._

 _The genuine smile was there on him all the time, but he didn't repeated himself, and eyed the glass of water in her hand. "You should get back to sleep. Hangovers are pretty bad."_

 _"Stefan… uh, did I… did I say something when I was drunk?"_

 _"Said what?"_

 _"I don't know, you tell me!"_

 _"Go… to… sleep." Stefan just mouthed the words._

 _"What? OH MY GOD, I TOLD YOU TO SLEEP WITH ME?" The second when the words came out of her, she knew her brain isn't working, and she was feeling an utter amount of embarrassment._

 _He was laughing in full phase now, not smiling or chuckling like Stefan always do, but full fledged, high- pitched laugh. She had never heard a sound like that before, and for some reason it was soothing._

 _"Caroline, that's me… telling you, to go back to sleep." He said the words at a slower speed, as if the normal speed might hit her brain and will cause damage._

 _She doesn't remember if she argued after that or not, but she remember falling deep in sleep after that._

 _She woke after what felt like years to her. Her eyes were blurry but she can totally figure the shape of the person sitting right opposite to her near the table. Caroline frowned on the thought that Stefan was still in her house. "You are still here."_

 _He closed the book in his hand when he saw her waking up. "And you are up. You should have some soup now. I was going to give it to you, but you dozed off pretty quick."_

 _She could smell the aroma of chicken soup. "But I am not sick."_

 _"Let's argue on that after three seconds." And right after three seconds, she sneezed._

 _"How did you-"_

 _"I am studying medicine, Caroline. I can sniff a patient from a distance."_

 _"Patient, huh. So, that's what I am."_

 _"Well, you are not any ordinary patient to me."_

 _"Huh?" Her ears were deceiving her once again._

 _"On another note, you should definitely sing more often." He commented, and the flustered look on her was a proof that the memory of that moment was rushing back into her mind._

 _"Oh my god, I made you sing."_

 _"Hey, I thought someone liked my singing." He mocked as if he was hurt by her comment. "Even though I suck at it."_

 _"Oh, I didn't mean it like that."_

 _"Sure, you didn't." He started to fan himself with his hand. "Do you feel hot in here?"_

 _"No, I think the temperature is fine."_

 _"Hmm, maybe it's just me, after all I am hot, you know."_

 _Caroline's heart stopped. She remembered the very reference of his statement, quoting none other than Caroline Forbes. How many times did she called him hot last night? Her cheeks were flustered so much that she was unable to look at him straight. So, she just decided to keep her face turned on the opposite side, keeping her eyes closed. Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel his smile right on her flesh._

 _"By the way, your cheeks are red." He almost whispered in her ears, and her hands went to cover her cheeks. Was Stefan Salvatore flirting with her? Even the thought was making her dizzy._

 _"Stefan, tell me straight. Did I do or said something to you when I was drunk?" Caroline peeked at him before adding "apart from the statement I made about you being hot, obviously."_

 _"I should be going now. Have some rest. A lot of work to do." He stood up and started to walk out of her room._

 _"What? No!" she stood up as well, following him out of her room. "Stefan, answer me."_

 _"I have a lot of work to do, go back to the lab, check with the experiment results, put it in my journal-"_

 _"Not that. Answer my previous question!" She never realized when and how she ended up standing there, holding him from his collar. Their eyes fell on the position of her hand exactly at the same time. She was releasing it from her grip, but he stopped her, holding her hand near his collar instead. "It's okay. You can do it."_

 _"Do what?"_

 _"Anything."_

 _She tried to get her hand out of his grip, but he didn't let her go, or maybe she didn't tried to loosen his grip at the first place._

 _"You owe me something." He was the first one to break the silence_

 _"What exactly do I owe you?" Somehow she managed to talk._

 _"A challenge!"_

 _"A- a what?" "A challenge." He took a mere step forward, still holding her hand at the same position. "If you are forgetting you told me you can be upto any kind of challenge I will give you."_

 _"When the hell did I said that? Drunk dares and talks, and promises don't count… you know that right?"_

 _"ahan, that's the point Caroline. You were very much awake and not so drunk when we talked about it."_

 _"When?"_

 _"In that so-called double date you had suggested."_

 _"Hey, that was your girlfriend who suggested it-" "And it was your boyfriend who agreed to it."_

 _No argument to that, she thought. "So, what's the challenge?" she sighed in her defeat. Who remembers something mundane like this?_

 _"You will know it sooner. But, you can't go back on your words."_

 _"Fine."_

 _"Promise?"_

 _"Promise." Caroline smiled a little. However, when Stefan put a peck on his hand, which by the way was still on top of her own hand, that smile on her face dropped off. "What was that?"_

 _"Apparently that's how you do pinky swear."_

 _"What are we? five?" she laughed nervously._

 _"You can kiss as well."_

 _"Your hand?"_

 _Stefan laughed at her response, and the popped out eyes. "I meant your hand, but your suggestion can work as well."_

 _"I wasn't- I wasn't suggesting anything, and I am not doing anything like… that!" Her voice was high-pitched for some reason, which made Stefan laugh._

 _"I should go now." He dropped her hand, and went out of her house._

 _The weird smile on her face was still there on her face, standing still in the middle of her house, she was unable to figure out the deal with Stefan. It was like she was meeting Stefan for the first time. Was she overthinking or was Stefan was actually flirting with her? It was like a battlefield in her head._

* * *

 _"Well, thanks for ditching me." Caroline said in between the sips of her coffee._

 _"And I am saying sorry again. Anyways, it's not like you missed me or something." Bonnie said on the other end._

 _"Where is that coming from?"_

 _"I have heard stuff." She teased her._

 _"What stuff."_

 _"Stuff like when you become the super-hit when you sang."_

 _"Ugh, it was a disaster Bonnie. And the worst part is that I don't remember ANYTHING…. at all."_

 _"Really? Nothing?"_

 _"Well, just the part where I called Stefan hot on the mic… in front of everyone."_

 _"You did what?" Bonnie almost choked on her coffee._

 _"I knowwwww. I am so embarrassed."_

 _"Did you talk to Stefan after that?"_

 _Caroline was having difficulty talking about the morning. "Kind of."_

 _"Did he mentioned about it?"_

 _"No." Caroline answered instantly. More like lied instantly._

 _"So, there is no need to worry. He must have had slipped it out of his hand by now."_

 _Caroline wished for this to be true. But, Stefan did mentioned about, Stefan did teased her about it in the morning._

 _"Caroline? You there?"_

 _"Huh? Yeah… yeah I am here."_

 _Caroline shook her head, and decided to not think about it anymore. Although since the past five hours, that is exactly what she has been doing, thinking over and over again, trying to remember about anything. And there were some moments coming to her in bits and pieces, and it was definitely making her uncomfortable._

 _"I puked at Stefan's shoes."_

 _"You did what?" Bonnie was in the roars of laughter now._

 _"Bonnie Bonnet, this is all your fault!" She was angry on everything now._

 _"Hey, how is this my fault?"_

 _"Since you didn't came with me to keep a check on me, I had god know how much of alcohol inside me, and you very well know how I am when I am drunk."_

 _"I must admit though, I am regretting a little bit to see all that through my own eyes." Bonnie was trying hard to control her laugh, but was failing._

 _"I hate you." Caroline was going crazy, and she had to talk about Stefan with someone, but she knew what Bonnie's answer will be, and some part inside her didn't want to feel negative, and wanted to like the fluttering feeling she was having inside her stomach._

* * *

 _Caroline was moving from one aisle to another with the list of grocery in her hand. She was near the dairy section, when she remembered suddenly. She remembered it all._

 _"Shit!" she didn't realize she was standing in the public place. "Shit, shit, shit…." the word kept coming out of her mouth, and two or three people passing her by thought that she must be crazy._

 _"What happened?" she heard someone talking to her from behind._

 _"Twice… I did it twice."_

 _"Did what?"_  
 _"I almost ki-" The main problem with Caroline is that, sometimes when she blabbers, she doesn't look around or pay attention to whom she was talking to. She stopped before completing the word 'kiss'. Thanks to that fortunately, because she was blabbering to none other than Stefan Salvatore._

 _"You almost what?" He asked again._

 _"What are you doing here?"_

 _"I was visiting someone, and then I saw you coming in the store, so I walked in."_

 _Caroline was glad she didn't finish her sentence. "Caroline, is everything fine?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"By the way, it's time."_

 _"Time for what?"_

 _"For your challenge."_

 _Caroline wasn't getting why he was so pressed about the stupid challenge anyways. "And what task do I have to do?"_

 _"You have to go on a date."_

 _Caroline stood there gaping at him. Did he just asked her out? "Date with-"_

 _"Someone I know." Stefan finished the sentence for her, and proved her wrong._

 _"Why should I? And why are you so concerned about my dating life?" She was angry now._

 _"I am sorry Caroline, but that's the challenge."_

 _"What kind of a challenge it is?"_

 _"Be at the Curios at 11 a.m. He will be waiting for you there." He didn't answer her_

 _"Who goes on a date at 11 in the morning?"_

 _"That guy does. Now don't be late tomorrow."_

 _"Who is he may I ask? Or am I not even allowed to ask that either?"_

 _"You can know that Tom is nice guy."_

 _"Tom?"_

 _"Yup… Tom…Tom Avery."_

 **.Continued**

 **A/N: This chapter is divided into two for the sake of suspense. But, it will be up soon (in few hours). Don't forget to let me know your reactions. I love reading it.**


	12. Chapter 11 Part 2

_"_ _Tom Avery? Who is that?"_

 _"_ _My friend."_

 _"_ _Your friend? I know all your friends Stefan. There is me, and Lexi… and me. What friend is this one?"_

 _"_ _Someone you don't know. But don't worry he is kind of similar to me. Some people might say that he is my twin."_

 _"_ _And you want me to go with him."_

 _"_ _No, I want you to finish your challenge. Are you up for it?"_

 _"_ _Fine, then don't come complaining to me if I really start liking this Tom."_

 _"_ _Okay."_

 _"_ _I might actually go on a second date."_

 _"_ _I will be thrilled for you two."_

 _Stefan started walking and she followed._

 _"_ _Then I should find a date for you as well." Her anger was all over her face. Just a day before, Stefan was all flirty and cheeky with her, and now he brought a date for her._

 _"_ _Oh no. The task is for you and not for me."_

 _Caroline was almost going to throw something at him, but she controlled herself, thanks to her control freaky-ness._

 _"_ _Don't forget it. Sharp 11 a.m."_

 _And he didn't wait for any other response from her, and left the store. Caroline stood there unblinking for almost the countable minutes._

 _"_ _What the hell is wrong with him?" She muttered, and stomped off out of the store as well._

* * *

 _It was a Sunday morning, and she was being lazy, and moreover she didn't want to wake up. Nothing to do with the undeniable date she agreed to go on obviously. Her phone has already buzzed for about hundred times, and it was still ringing. She opened her one eye and peeked through it. If it would have been any other day, she would have felt happy and sunny after seeing the flashing name. But, right now she was just praying for him to end the call. It did ended, but only the ring once again._

 _"_ _Hello." Her voice was low, and coarse._

 _"_ _What happened to your voice?"_

 _"_ _I think I caught cold." She coughed._

 _"_ _Are you okay?" she could feel the concern in his voice._

 _"_ _I don't think so."_

 _But she was perfectly fine._

 _"_ _Is it too bad?"_

 _"_ _Y-yeah. I think I might have fever as well."_

 _She didn't have any fever either._

 _"_ _I should be there in few minutes." By his voice it was clear that he was rushing out of his place now._

 _"_ _NO" she jumped up. If Stefan came there and saw her, he will definitely figure it out that she was lying. "I mean, you don't have to worry about it. I will get better. It's just a fever, it will pass." She was talking without taking any breaths now, and she had to stop talking soon, or else Stefan will know what she was doing._

 _"_ _Caroline… stop." He broke the chain of her words. "I am in your neighborhood, it won't be a problem for me to come there."_

 _"_ _Why the hell are you in my neighborhood_ _all the time these days?" It came out of nowhere. Caroline was scolding herself for having her foot residing in her mouth. "I didn't mean that."_

 _"_ _Okay, but you take care." He didn't argued further._

 _"_ _I don't think I will be able to go to meet Tom today." She coughed again, trying to sound genuinely weak._

 _"_ _Hmm… I was actually calling you to let you know that I was thinking of taking you to the 'Fall Out Boy' concert."_

 _"_ _WHAT?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, they are on the tour, and since that's your favorite band, I thought-"_

 _"_ _OH MY GOD, you have no Idea how happy I am right now. When is the concert?"_

 _"_ _Tonight."_

 _"_ _I can't believe I am gonna meet them, see them live." She was jumping on her bed like a five year old, but she didn't care._

 _"_ _Are you jumping right now?"  
_ _"_ _Hell, yeah. I am gonna go pick up a dress for tonight."_

 _"_ _It will be a bit cold though."_

 _"_ _Who cares, it's not like I am sick or something."_

 _The silence was pouring from the other end of the line, and that was when it hit her. She could practically imagine him raising an eyebrow at her, with his jaws clenched._

 _"_ _I meant *cough* , I will be fine by night. *Couch*" She didn't forgot the cough loudly, and even she knew she was overdoing it and her lies has been caught by him._

 _"_ _Caroline, if you can't take the bet, then just accept that you lost it."_

 _"_ _Caroline Forbes isn't a loser."_

 _"_ _Oh, then Caroline Forbes should be getting ready right now."_

 _Her mouth opened to argue, but she didn't say anything. He was right though. She could just accept to lose it and be merry, but then the nagging thought will kill her for the rest of her life, because her neurotic brain won't let her live peacefully._

 _"_ _Yeah, I am going." But the concert was enough to make her happy. "Anyways, we are going for the concert."_

 _"_ _We are not."_

 _"_ _But, I am fine!" She pouted, begging to share the tickets with her._

 _"_ _We are not going because there is no concert tonight."  
_ _"_ _What?" the question came through her gritted teeth. "You… you tricked me… How could you-"_

 _"_ _See you later."_

 _Her mouth fell open. Did he just hung up on her? She had a pit in her stomach that there is definitely something wrong with Stefan. Can it because of her behavior on Friday night? It wasn't the first time that the thought came to her mind. The night is still blurry to her, however she did remembered that she tried to kiss him, not only once but twice. One was on some bridge, and the other right in her bedroom. The bedroom one she still felt like a hallucination rather than the reality._

 _"_ _Worry about this later, and deal with the stupid problem Stefan had put on your head for today." She muttered and jumped out of her bed._

* * *

 ** _11 O'clock, The Curios_**

 _She reached sharp at 11 a.m. neither a minute before nor a minute after. She doesn't care about this date, and anyways she had planned to make an excuse and run away if she found the guy too boring. She can't handle too much of a headache for the weekend._

 _"_ _I am here for a reservation made by the name Tom Avery." She asked at the entrance, who smiled at her and took her to her table. There was a guy sitting at one of the corner table. Lean body, and she could guess the height to be 5'11''. He was wearing a brown colored leather jacket, and to her surprise, she actually liked the taste in clothes. The only problem was she hasn't seen his face yet, which was behind the big menu book._

 _"_ _Hi… You must be Tom Avery." Caroline started. Maybe this won't be a bad idea like she had been thinking. "I am Caroline, your-"_

 _"_ _Date. I know." Before she could think of the similarity of his voice, he put the menu aside, and smiled at her. For a minute, Caroline couldn't think straight, because she was supposed to meet Tom. But, the person sitting on that table was none other than Stefan._

 _"_ _Stefan! What are YOU doing here?"_

 _Stefan didn't say anything and grinned widely._

 _"_ _I thought I was meeting your FRIEND, Tom Avery. Did he ran away? Or are you just here to spy on me and check whether I am going through this date or not?" She thought he would answer, but instead he chuckled._

 _"_ _I am not Stefan."_

 _Caroline blinked for a minute, waiting for him to continue._

 _"_ _I am not Stefan. I am your date, Tom."_

 _"_ _Yeah, right." she said slowly. "And I am not Caroline, I am Queen of Persia." Caroline laughed, but he didn't react, which made her laughs stop._

 _"_ _Okay, stop with this joke."_

 _"_ _I am not joking. We are family, and that's why a little resemblance is there."_

 _A little was an understatement. He looked like the carbon copy of Stefan, as if someone put Stefan into the printer machine, and commanded for another copy._

 _"_ _I thought you and Tom are friends."_

 _"_ _Me and Stefan." He corrected. "And no, we are distant brothers, extended family kind of. But, you should have seat you know. Otherwise people will keep staring at us." He kept the smile on his face._

 _Caroline realized that they were still standing, and he was right about the part of people staring at them. Hurriedly she took the seat, which was in simultaneous motion of him moving closer to her chair._

 _"_ _What?" she asked him seated on her chair._

 _"_ _I was going to… never mind." He smiled again and went back to his seat._

 _"_ _Were you going to pull the chair for me?"_

 _He smiled again, and that made her feel guilty. She kept forgetting that it's not a date, and his face was not doing any good. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to-"  
_ _"_ _It's okay. I can see that you are flustered because of my face."_

 _Caroline still wasn't convinced about his identity, and she didn't know where to go from here._

 _"_ _So, tell me about yourself. Are you in college?"_

 _"_ _Yeah. Medical college."_

 _"_ _Just like Stefan."_

 _"_ _Yeah, we have kind of similar taste."_

 _"_ _Yeah… yeah I can see that._

 _"_ _What about you?"_

 _"_ _Well, I am in my final year, and for my graduate thesis I am working in this company, and the experience has been really good."_

 _"_ _Wesley's are pretty big. They don't hire anybody just like that." He said while enjoying his blueberry waffles._

 _"_ _I never told you the name." She furrowed her brows, thinking that it might be his slip. For a fraction of second, she thought that she saw his hand stopped the movement with his fork._

 _"_ _Oh, then it might had been Stefan who told me."_

 _"_ _yeah… maybe"_

 _She could see him eating faster now, as if avoiding the previous conversation. "Hey easy with the carb."_

 _He gave her a warm smile, the one she knew belonged to Stefan._

 _"_ _Apparently my parents wanted me to become an explorer and go for expeditions, that's why this name."_

 _Caroline laughed. "And you ended up in a medical college. Well, if you want you can still go on expeditions."_

 _"_ _I don't know. I am good at where I am." His looks lingered on her, making her cheek flushed. It had been a while since they were talking, but it still felt like she was talking to Stefan and not any other guy. "Anyways, how did you and Stefan met?"_

 _"_ _He didn't tell you?"_

 _"_ _Not much."_

 _"_ _We were in the same class in high-school. And after a long time we met in the train."_

 _"_ _Sounds interesting."_

 _"_ _What's interesting?"_

 _"Well your and Stefan's friendship._ _You are so charming, full of life, and brighter than sunshine kind of girl. I will never get how you ended up being his friend."_

 _"_ _Hey, Stefan is a great guy." And even though she had a feeling that she was talking to Stefan, she wanted to say the next thing. "And moreover, he means a lot to me."_

 _He looked at her as if he stopped breathing. "Well, then I will say that he is hell of a lucky guy."_

 _The lingering stares were broken, when a glass of wine was slipped from the waitress and landed over his pant._

 _"_ _Oh my god, I am so sorry, sir. I will bring some tissues." The waitress was on the verge of crying._

 _"_ _Hey, it's okay. Human error. it happens." He started to empty his pocket. "I should go to the washroom." He told Caroline, and left his wallet and rest of the stuff on table._

 _Caroline was waiting for him, and suddenly her eyes fell on the one thing in the pile of stuff. She took the key-chain in her hand. There was nothing wrong in the key-ring, just, that it looked like the snow globe, Caroline gave Stefan a few months back, and it had the mark C at the bottom at the exactly same spot._

* * *

 _"_ _I am sorry. I had to made you wait long." He said taking back the seat.  
_ _"_ _It's fine. All… is… fine." She smiled widely, and his looks could tell that he was confused for some reason._

 _"_ _Let's go somewhere else." She suggested._

 _"_ _You wanna extend our date?"_

 _"_ _Sure. I will admit, I actually quite enjoyed myself."_

 _"_ _Where do you wanna go?"_

 _"_ _What's your favorite places or hobbies."_

 _"_ _I read a lot."_

 _"_ _Really? Any particular book you like?"_

 _"_ _The Great Gatsby."_

 _"_ _Oh, that's Stefan's favorite book as well."_

 _He stopped on the way, staring at her._

 _"_ _But you and Stefan have a lot in common, don't you?" She smiled back, which made his knuckles relax._

 _"_ _Yeah.. yeah we have."_

 _"_ _Hmm.." she nodded slowly, scrutinizing him. "You know what, there is this sculpture museum nearby. We can go check that out."_

 _"_ _OK, I am in."_

 _She took out her phone from her purse, and dialed in a number. "I think a phone is buzzing." she said out loud, while waiting on her phone. "I am actually calling Stefan."_

 _His hand stopped right at the pocket of his jacket._

 _"_ _Aren't you going to pick up the phone?" she asked him_

 _"_ _No… I mean, I don't take calls when I am on dates."_

 _"_ _Oh."_

 _"_ _By the way, why are you calling Stefan?" He asked anxiously._

 _"_ _He is into art and stuff, and I figured he would like to see the place as well. So, I was thinking of inviting him."_

 _"_ _You want to invite someone else during our date!" He pointed out._

 _"_ _It would be rude, isn't it. I am sorry, where is my head." she laughed and ended the call. "Let's go."_

* * *

 _They were walking out of the museum, when she decided to hold his hand tightly. "That was fun."_

 _"_ _Yeah. Uh, are you like this with other guys on date as well, or is it just… me?" He asked a hushed voice._

 _"_ _Like what?"_

 _He didn't bother to explain himself._

 _"_ _Well, only the one I like you know." She put her index finger on his shoulder, and started moving it in a circular motion. Her lips curled up on the edge making him swallow hard._

 _"_ _Uh, that's very bold of you."_

 _"_ _And why are you saying like that?"_

 _"_ _Are you flirting with me?"_

 _"_ _Of course I am flirting with you. It's a date, isn't it?" She rolled her eyes._

 _"_ _But, you don't even know me that well." He inquired._

 _"_ _But Stefan knows you and he set this date up. I trust him, and if he thinks that this can work then sure." She gave her best Caroline smile._

 _"_ _Yeah, but-"_

 _"_ _Okay, we can talk later. I am really hungry and need something in my stomach."_

 _He chuckled. "What do you wanna eat?"_

 _"_ _I have a place in mind."_

 _"_ _Sushi?" His mouth was open._

 _"_ _No, it's... Mr. Sushi." she corrected._

 _"_ _Caroline, I-"_

 _"_ _I love sushi. Unless you don't like it?"_

 _He opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him in. "Although, Stefan hates it. But, I am sure, you can't have every single taste bud like his. right?"_

 _He stared at her blankly. "Yeah… no, I mean, yeah I don't hate it."_

 _"_ _Awesome, let's go then." She took his hand and pulled him inside the restaurant._

 _They took one of the middle table, and ordered two dinner boxes of sushi. "You should try the red dragon sushi. It's spicy and yum." Caroline kept talking about the sushi, and she could see the sweats on his forehead._

 _"_ _Are you feeling hot or something?"_

 _"_ _w-what? No, I am fine."_

 _"_ _okay."_

 _The dinner came in about fifteen minutes._

 _"_ _Go ahead." she said._

 _His smile was tensed, and his hands slowly headed to the chopstick. She could see him closing his eyes and taking the piece in his mouth._

 _"_ _It's good right." she asked him again, and tried to smile and nod. "Have some more." One after another he took all of it._

 _"_ _So, I was saying-"_

 _"_ _I can't take it anymore." He jumped out of his chair and rushed towards the washroom. Caroline was almost triumphant in her plan. She followed him._

 _"_ _Tom, are you okay?" She asked him, waiting right outside the restroom, smiling to herself._

 _"_ _I have allergy to sushi, Caroline." He came out tired, and his face dripping with sprinkled water._

 _Her smile dropped off instantly. "What? Why did you never told me before? I thought you just hated it."_

 _"_ _Of course I hated it because it makes my tongue swell."_

 _"_ _I am sorry, Stefan. Let's take you to the hospital."_

 _"_ _No, that's fine. I am good now." He was talking and then stopped, slowing turning towards her._

 _"_ _I am, I am not Stefan." He laughed nervously._

 _"_ _Oh please, now just stop this game, Stefan. I know it's you." She walked out of the place. She practically wanted to kick herself. There are some allergies which are so severe that it might kill the person. She had read that somewhere, and now every single word of that article was hovering over her. She heard him paying for the dinner, and calling her again and again, but she didn't stopped._

 _"_ _Caroline, Caroline. wait. I am sorry okay." He ran and came in front of her. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I swear."_

 _"_ _But, I could have had.." she couldn't make it into a complete sentence. Just thought of him not being in this world was scary. His brows were furrowed, waiting on her but she just sighed._

 _"_ _I could have had killed you in there." Her voice was low, but trembling._

 _"_ _Caroline, yes I am allergic to the fishes, but it won't kill me. The allergy is not that severe."_

 _"_ _But, what if it would have had harmed you."_

 _"_ _But, it didn't. See." He waved at himself. "I am fine." That didn't made her smile though._

 _"_ _I am taking the bus." He might have offered to drive her home, but she didn't want that. "Why were you playing this trick anyways?"_

 _"_ _When I took you home that night, you were blabbering something about no one can fool you, and you can't be tricked."_

 _"_ _And I was right."_

 _"_ _No you weren't."_

 _"_ _Yes, I was. I caught your lie."_

 _"_ _So, you knew it right from the beginning?"  
_ _"_ _Yep."_

 _"_ _Not even for a second you thought that I might actually be some other guy?"_

 _"_ _Nope." although she did thought so at the beginning, but she wasn't going to admit that to him._

 _"_ _And still you were flirting with me all this time, knowing that I am Stefan."_

 _"_ _Yep."_

 _He was silent, and that followed with her widened eyes. "I mean of course I was. I mean, that wasn't flirting, that was to pull out your mask. Otherwise, I would never have had flirted with Tom Avery or anyone. I was not even going to come on the date you know…."_

 _She was blabbering again, but this time he didn't stop her and just stood there silently beside her. It took her about a minute to realize that he was staring, and not just at anything but at her. His lips flickered into the smile like he was looking at her for the first time. There was something different in the way his eyes bored into her. His eyes as if never wanting to blink even for a second, and she was mesmerized and lost in those unfathomable forest of green orbs. Maybe she was imagining way too much, and for some reason she wanted to be just like that, lost in the moment, forgetting about the real life, because in real life, she was Caroline and he was Stefan, and Caroline and Stefan were friends in the real world. She wanted to escape that world. If that was how she was going to get it, a one perfect day, a moment, a second of the way she felt about being the centre of his life, she wanted to remember it all. Because, who knows when and if she was ever going to get that moment in the real world._

 _Just like that, without even saying a word, he made her blabbers stop. When the words stops, the heart begins, and that is exactly how her body was functioning. The words were lost in her mouth, but the thumping sound of her heart was loud enough for her and she was pretty sure he can hear it as well._

 _"_ _Why are you looking at me like this?" She didn't want to ask that particular question, but she did anyway._

 _The soft chuckles left his throat when his feet moved forward, approaching her closer and closer. Slowly he leaned forward, his mouth closer to her earlobe, and she was frozen to her spot. "Because, I wanted to." His whispers jolted a series of electric shock in her veins._

 _She cleared her throat before moving on to her next question, although it was really hard to phrase it with him standing so close to her, and his warm breath falling on her skin in the winter night wasn't making it any easy on her. "And what is that supposed to mean?"_

 _He moved away from her, his lips still curled up like he has seen ocean of glowing water. She waited for an answer, and that wait was killing her._

 _"_ _You are lovely." He came straight to the point, and her eyes went wide. He was openly flirting with her, and it was very unlikely of the Stefan she know of. Or maybe she doesn't know him at all._

 _"_ _w-what?"_

 _It was a windy day, and the wind was blowing the lock of her hair all over her face, but she was stiff, and under his stare, she couldn't even move. Even the breathing felt like she would burst into million pieces._

 _One step after another, he came forward, not that he was standing very far from her. Tucking her lock beside her ear, his fingers stayed there, curled up in her hair. The sensation was euphoric. His lips were hovering near her lips, and she could practically taste his breath. Her eyes closed to take it all in, and when his lips collided with hers, she was in some other world, as if she was floating. His lips were soft, and tender and fit perfectly between her lips. She might have had thought of kissing him during the high-school years, but the reality beats the imagination from infinite amount._

 _Her bus came and went, but she didn't care. She was burning in the middle of the November winter, and she didn't bother about anything. All she wanted was to engulf into the moment, and never let it go. This could be a dream, but if it is, she never wanted to open her eyes ever again._

* * *

 **A/N:** So, how was it? they kissed at last. And Tom Avery. Lol, don't forget to give the reviews. Love your reactions :) good day.


	13. Chapter 12 Part 1

_**01:00 a.m. Caroline's apartment**_

 _ **(right after he took her home in her drunken state)**_

 _"Caroline… can you please go back to sleep?" He was tired, and exhausted. He didn't mind watching her sleep, which did sounded creepy a little in his head, and thus, he took his eyes away from her. However, she was awake again. And the drunk Caroline was totally uncontrollable. And the fact that the drunk version of Caroline was highly irresistible to him was not doing him any good at that moment._

 _"NO!" she pouted her lips, popping her eyes out, like the kids do when they feel sleepy and still doesn't want to go to bed._

 _"Why?"_

 _"I am not sleepy."_

 _"Caroline… you wanted me to stay here, and now I am here. What else do you need?"_

 _"As if you can give me what I want." She huffed crossing her arms across her chest._

 _"What does that suppose to mean?" His brows furrowed making a v shape on his forehead._

 _"You really wanna know what that means?"_

 _He stared at her blankly, trying to figure out what she meant. However, her advances made it clear for him. She came towards him, maybe to kiss him again. But, he didn't wait to see if his guess was correct. With her forwarding movement, his head moved away a little. Maybe because his heart was too damn scared of what if it didn't happen again, or maybe it would have looked like he was taking advantage of her. And he won't do that._

 _"Caroline!" He sighed her name, his eyes shutting on the sound of her name in his throat._

 _"You know, no one can make me a fool." She was back to her previous position, away from him, her lips nowhere near him. He should be happy, but he wasn't._

 _"Really?"_

 _"Really!" she slurred._

 _"I don't believe that."_  
 _"I can smell a lie from far away. I am like a lie Police." She smiled, giggling and getting hiccups. Stefan was amused at her. How did he missed it all? He wanted to know her more, wanted to talk for endless nights._

 _He was lost in her essence when her hiccups turned bigger, and his shoes ended up filled with her vomit._

 _"Oh my god." she moaned._

 _"My shoes." He said with words simultaneous to her words of "MY PRECIOUS WOODEN FLOOR."_

 _He stared at her for a minute, to which she responded with "What? you can get new shoes, I won't get new floor. I don't have that kind of money."_

 _"Caroline…" He might have gotten angry at her. But, her sleepy eyes, her puffy cheeks were making everything impossible for him. And that included the part where he had to breathe so that he can be alive._

 _"Stefan…. do you ever feel like there is no one in this world who loves you." Her tone was sad, and just the whisper of words. But, he heard it all. Loud and clear._

 _" I will clean it up." He managed to say it, but his body was stiff like that wooden floor._

 ** _11.55 p.m., Somewhere on the street_**

 ** _November, 2003_**

 _"Caroline… wait!" He was out on the street, following her from the restaurant to wherever she was going. He didn't mean to hurt her, but at the end, she was hurt. And it was all because of him. Only if he didn't think of the stupid idea of making her smile._

 _"I am sorry." He was still behind her, and she was neither turning around to face him, nor was stopping._

 _She blurred out the reason of her anger. Turns out that it wasn't him, but his allergy. She was taking it all on herself. His eyes couldn't move away from her at that moment. What good has he done that he met her? Maybe some due over with the higher being which carried over from his previous life._

 _"And still you were flirting with me all this time, knowing that I am Stefan." His lips were teasing the smile, and it became the wide grin on his face, just by her reaction. Caroline Forbes and talking goes together. But, Caroline Forbes and talking while being conscious and alarmed goes the best for him._

 _"Why are you looking at me like this?"_

 _She asked him, and he wondered if it was not obvious that why he looked at her the way he did. She turned pink when he gave her the answer. "Because, I wanted to." That is something he had been noticing lately. His teasing brings that color in her cheek, and wanted to be painted in that color._

 _"You are lovely." Another slip of tongue. His brain was not in his control. But, he didn't care. It might be the bad move, or maybe not._

 ** _12 a.m.,_**

 ** _The street that became his best place of the galaxy_**

 ** _December, 2003_**

 _The bell was swinging somewhere in the bell house. He thought that his brain was not in control. He was wrong. It had the company of his mind, his heart, his soul and every cell in his body. He was out of control. As if he was on drugs. Her lips were actually between his own, and the feeling was euphoric. Did she felt it too?_

 _His hand found home in her hair, curled up, touching her warm cheeks. He didn't want it to end. Because finally he was kissing her, and moreover, she was kissing him in return as well._

 _It felt like the time stopped for them. But, she was slowing down now, getting ready to stop it at once. And now all those worries he didn't care about a few minutes before started to rush into his brain. Was she going to push him away? Was she going to regret the moment now? A moment of momentary lapse. That could be something she might say._

 _His senses started to come back, and now he realized that there was a ringing purse in concern._

 _"I should probably take that." She whispered, trying hard to get words out of her mouth._

 _"Go for it."_

 _"I should." She prompted, but didn't move._

 _"You should." He agreed, but didn't let her go._

 _It might be the third or the fourth time when it rang again, and she was forced to take it. She turned away from him, and he looked around himself. For a second he thought he saw a rainbow, and laughed at himself, shaking his head. A rainbow in the middle of the night! Caroline did changed his way of thinking. He rubbed his hand at the back of his neck, still having that goofy smile on his face. He wanted to tell her so many things. And in few seconds, he would be able to tell her each and everything. Would she stay with him? … spend the night with him? Would she tell him that she has feeling for him as well?_

 _He chuckled at himself, scolding himself to stop thinking so much._

 _He turned around to see if she was done with the call. And he could see that there was no phone sticking to her ear._

 _"Hope it wasn't your boyfriend calling to check on you." He joked, and chuckled._

 _But, she didn't reply._

 _He waited for a response._

 _There wasn't any._

 _And then, she was sighing._

 _Now, her whole body was shaking._

 _He was panicked._

 _"Caroline?" He approached her, and he figured that she wasn't just shaking but she was crying as well. "What's wrong?"_

 _"It's….. my mom." The tears started to fall one after another, when she lost her strength and fell on the ground. He held her before her body could have had hit the ground._

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I just decided to break this chapter in parts as well. I know its really short but It's kind of important one. Some of the things I had to tell here. Caroline's pov was the last one in the previous chapter. And all of it is from now by Stefan's pov. Next part will be up soon. :) hope you enjoyed it. I know not much in the part, but I wanted to put the rest of the stuff in next part. Keep looking for it. Happy reading.


	14. Chapter 12 Part 2

_She was silent like still water. No movement whatsoever. It's been three hours and she had been sitting like a lifeless body. Stefan tried to convince himself that it was just the atmosphere of the hospital, but even he knew the truth. He could understand the pain she must had been feeling. The fear of losing a mother is never good. But, she hasn't lost it, nothing is over. He had been constantly trying for ten hours, thinking of a way, anything to make her response. But, all his efforts were fruitless, in vain. His eyes never left its position from her. The only thing which was confirming that she was alive were her heartbeats. How could he hear them from so far standing opposite to her? He could though... loud and clear. They went high and low making the peaks on the graph, and that peak increased exponentially when some doctor passed by. And during that minute, the response rate was the highest as well. The cornea of her eyes re-flexing, moving in the direction of the doctor, waiting for an answer. But, they just passed by, and she didn't try to ask them either._

 _Was she scared of asking the question as a lot of time had gone after the accident?_

 _The first few hours after they reached the hospital, she never stopped asking about the status of her mother, the one who was battling for life inside the ICU room._

 _"You can't just let me hanging in here." She almost shouted at the doctor operating on her mother seven hours before._

 _"You see, her condition is critical. And it's a long duration surgery."_

 _"Fine… but is she going to be okay? You guys have been dodging me. I tried to get my hand on that nurse, and she just went away without even giving me a proper answer." Her eyes were red, probably because it was 5 a.m. in the morning, and she didn't have her sleep. Neither did Stefan._

 _"She told you that we are still operating on her." The doctor said keeping the details away from Caroline._

 _"What are you hiding? Why are you talking so vaguely?" She demanded, and Stefan knew exactly the answer to that._

 _Fifteen broken bones inside Liz's body. Liz was Caroline's mother, and the sheriff of the town. When Stefan used to go to the high school with Caroline, he always called her by name, and Liz never told him to do otherwise. He had a talk with the doctor before, and Liz's condition was brutal. What can you expect from a collision of a truck with the police car? The paramedic team was unsure of how the operation was going to go. And the only request Stefan had for them was to keep Caroline's hope intact. Thus, the doctor never really answered her question._

 _"Caroline!" Stefan had to come in between the conversation._

 _"They are hiding something from me. I want to know what that is!" Her eyes were wide, and lips trembling, but her face was a mixture of emotions. Fear of, what if something wrong happened to her mother. Anger of being out of loop. Sad of not being with her mother when the accident happened. He knew that for a fact because he went through those emotions when he lost her mother._

 _"Caroline, you need to calm down…. and you have to keep praying for her well-being. It will be fine."_

 _Caroline was about to run after the doctor again, but he held her hand and stopped her._

 _"Then you tell me what's going on, Stefan?" She looked at him, trying hard to keep her tears away. "I need to know." She murmured._

 _And he knew he won't be able to keep the truth away from her for long. She had to know it, and it had to come from him and not some stranger._

 _"Caroline… her condition is critical. It was a massive collision."_

 _"But, they are operating."_

 _"Yes, and I am sure they are doing everything in their hand to keep her alive."_

 _"What do you mean by keep her alive?" she asked instantly._

 _"She has fifteen broken bones in her body right now, and that's why it's a long hour operation."_

 _"Well, they don't know her… they don't know how strong she is. My mom is a fighter and she is gonna get through it, Stefan." She laughed in pain, the tears she had been holding back started to drop one by one. "Right?" She asked him, and he had no answer to that. He took her in his embrace, try and wishing to take the pain away from._

 _But, now she was silent as if all her tears dried up. She was numb and he never knew that he would see a day when his ears won't be filled with her voice. He went towards the bench chair she was sitting on, and took a seat beside her. She didn't move, didn't say anything….he didn't either. The only thing he did was to hold her hand, and squeeze it, making a silent promise that he was there with her, and hoped that the warmth could radiate through the palm of his hand, and somehow make her know that he was there._

* * *

 _Those ten hours became fifteen and then it wasn't long for a round up twenty hours. Caroline didn't have moved from the chair, as if fighting with someone in her head and being stubborn. Stefan didn't leave her._

 _It was the next day that the doctors informed that even though the operation went fine, they needed the patient to be under observation for coming to any conclusion. He had to go for his class. It was the finals week, but he didn't care._

 _"I think you should eat something. Have some sugar in yourself." It was Stefan who brought the energy drink can for her._

 _"And I think you should go." It was the first sentence in twenty four hours she said, and even though she asked him to leave, he wanted to smile, because it felt like ages since he heard her voice._

 _"I am not going anywhere."_

 _"Isn't it your finals today?"_

 _"It is."_

 _"Then go."_

 _"But…"_

 _"Stefan, I don't want you to fail because of me."_

 _He didn't care. All he wanted was to be there around her…. with her…. there for her._

 _"I will be fine." She mumble, like she had lost all her strength._

 _"I will go only on one condition…. you have to eat something."_

 _She looked deep in his eyes, as if trying to find some answers. "I will take something from the cafe outside."_

 _"Promise?"_

 _"Yeah." She tried to smile, but it was all broken._

 _He got up to leave, but his heart stopped right at the moment in a shock of the new arrival of guests._

* * *

 _"Damon!" His voice was filled with shock to see his brother there. It had been long since they came face to face, and he had no idea about what he was doing there._

 _"Brother!" He greeted him, coming forward._

 _"What are you doing here?"_

 _"Hello to you too brother." Damon has always been sarcastic, but right now Stefan was not in a mood of his sarcasms. He rolled his eyes, waiting for a proper answer._

 _"Liz is my friend." Damon said in a matter of fact tone._

 _"Your friend?" He raised an eyebrow on that answer._

 _"Yeah." Damon stared at him blankly. "It shouldn't be a shock to know that I have friends. I am the popular one and you are the one who always had problem with making friends, remember?"_

 _Stefan rolled his eyes once again._

 _"How is Liz?" Damon asked. This time his expressions were serious. Stefan could see that his brother really considered Liz his friend, because caring for strangers wasn't his brother's thing._

 _"Under observation."_

 _"I came here as soon as I could have had." Damon explained, he didn't need to though. Stefan frowned, because Damon had never been obligated to give reasons about his actions. He do what he wants to do. Stefan didn't say anything and just nodded._

 _"I will be going out for a while. Let me know if you get any news." Stefan told him and turned around to look at Caroline, who was still sitting at the same place. She didn't know that Damon was in the hospital as well. Probably because she was lost in her own thoughts._

 _"I am sure, she will be fine while you are gone." Damon said plainly._

 _"I hope so." Stefan whispered, still looking at her, and with the last glimpse, he went out of the hospital._

* * *

 _Stefan was still in the same clothes from last night/day whatever hours passed. He didn't have the time to do calculation, and no time for going back home and change. His test was in five minutes when he reached the class._

 _"You look like a mess." Lexi whispered when he took the seat beside her. "And smell bad as well. You should shower sometimes, you know?"_

 _"I didn't have time for that." He was tired and exhausted, and no desire of giving any kind of test. "And can I borrow a pen?"_

 _He waited for her, staring down at his table._

 _"What's wrong?" Her teasing tone was transformed into the serious one._

 _He looked at her, confused at from where to start. "I, uh, it's Caroline's mother. She is in hospital… She had an accident."_

 _"Is she okay?" Lexi's voice was low._

 _"I don't know."_

 _"Is Caroline okay?"_

 _Stefan was silent, unable to come to a conclusion. "I don't know." And he really didn't know, and that was the most scaring part of his life at that time._

* * *

 _He went back straight to the hospital, no reroute to his apartment. The moment he finished writing his paper, he stood up and took the cab. He didn't even do his routine of checking his answers once again. He didn't care if he was going to fail. It was already away from her for almost two hours, and god knows what might have had happened in those two hours._

 _ **"What's the status?"**_

 _He typed the message to Damon._

 _ **"Still under observation. No new update."**_

 _ **"And Caroline?"**_

 _ **"She is here."**_

 _ **"Did she eat?"**_

 _He waited for his messages, but there was none, and it raised his heartbeat._

 _ **"Yes."**_

 _After a minute or so, the answer came. One word… just one word._

 _He paid the driver, and jumped out of the cab, and walked faster, almost ran into the hospital._

 _He saw her standing near the vending machine, pushing the buttons in irritation._

 _"Hey." He approached her, hoping that she would talk to him this time._

 _"The freaking coffee machine isn't working. If they can't make this machine work, how are they gonna operate on someone?" She said while having all her concentration on the machine._

 _"The operation is done."_

 _"Yes, and she is still there…. with no activity from her." She turned around, and looked straight in his eyes. Her back was supported with the machine._

 _"She will be fine." He didn't know that, but he had to keep her hopes, she was losing her optimism and that wasn't Caroline._

 _"I will take her to another hospital."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Yes." She was determined and walked away from him. He followed. "I don't feel like they are doing anything to save her."_

 _"Caroline… that is-"_

 _"-Crazy?"_

 _"No, I didn't say that."_

 _"Yeah, well maybe it is. But, I am someone who fixes things, you know. And right now, I feel like I am paralysed and can't do anything."_

 _"I know, Caroline. But, right now she is under observation. You can' take her out of the room. It will make things worse."_

 _"What do you want me to do?"_

 _"I want you to be by her side, and trust the doctors. They are doing everything they can."_

 _Caroline's eyes were filled with tears, but they didn't come out, she tried everything to keep them inside. Her chest was heaving a little behind her crossed arms._

 _"Hey." Stefan put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. He wanted to hug her, but he didn't know what to do. They never talked about the kiss, didn't get the chance for doing it. And now wasn't the right time in doing so. Thus, he wasn't bringing the conversation. And neither did she._

 _They were still staring at each other when a voice came from his behind calling for Caroline._

 _"Caroline, I have brought some yogurt."_

 _The voice, just stopped him at his place. He turned around and looked at the girl, the one who called Caroline. She smiled at him, thinking he would do the same. But instead, his eyebrows frowned."Elena." It shouldn't be a news to him, that she was here as well. She was his brother's girlfriend. And She was here, for Liz, for Caroline, for Damon, but was she here to meet him?_

 _"Hi."_

 _It was about two years since they broke up, and two years since he saw her last. He had decided to stay away as far as possible. But, now she was there in front of him, and all those memories of her with him were rushing into his mind._

 _"I, uh, I would go and check up on my mom." Caroline broke his chain of thoughts. He almost forgot that she was standing there as well. He looked at her and nodded, watching her walking towards her mother's room._

 _"It's nice to see you here." Elena started._

 _He smiled slightly. "How are you?"_

 _"I am fine. We came as soon as we came to know about Liz."_

 _We, as in her and Damon. Obviously they are a couple now, and wherever she goes, he goes and vice-versa. "Yeah. It's good that you came." He said, still focusing on the fact the he was seeing her after a long time. "We should go to Caroline."_

 _"Yeah… sure." Elena said clearing her throat._

* * *

 _He went to meet with the doctors. He was studying medicine, and maybe knowing about Liz status might help him of coming with ways of handling Caroline's emotion._

 _"There is still no progress, and her condition is degrading." The doctor informed._

 _"What do you mean by degrading?"_

 _"The heart rate is lower than it should be, the oxygen content is low in her blood vessels. She is on the machine right now, and that's the reason she is breathing."_

 _Stefan's mind was frozen at the moment. Caroline!_

 _"You have to save her."_

 _'Why? Are you going to threaten me as well?" The doctor was a little aloof, and Stefan was confused where the conversation was going._

 _"Yeah, your brother stopped by an hour ago and threatened me to save the patient, and told us that we are not doing our job. Since you are going to be in this field as well, I hope you understand our position."_

 _"I wasn't… I wasn't saying that."_

 _"I know… you don't look like an irrational one."_

 _He knows and Damon, and if Damon was calling out people, it meant that he really cares for Liz. "I apologize for my brother."_

 _"Nevermind."_

 _He came out of ' office, and went looking for Caroline. He needed to talk to her._

 _She was back to her old sitting place._

 _"Hey. Are you okay?"_

 _"Yeah… no… I don't really know what to say." She looked at him, like there was a series of thoughts going through her head._

 _"What are we?"_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"The people who are here are in different category… friends, friends of friends, couple, family. What category are we in?"_

 _"We are friends." the instant answer._

 _"And?"_

 _"And whatever we need to talk, we will talk about it. But, this is not the right time."_

 _She didn't respond. But, nodded just once. "Yeah, sure... I am so sorry to ask this right now."_

 _"Hey you don't need to apologize."_

 _She looked down, staring on the ground_

 _"You should go home, and take some rest." He told her._

 _"This is all my fault." Caroline was looking down at her feet while talking. "I was supposed to go to her place in the weekend. But, I cancelled on her. I should have been there, this is all my fault."_

 _Her words were breaking with her tears, and cries._

 _"Hey none of this is your fault."_

 _"She was on her way from Grandma's place. We always used to go there together. If I would have been there, I could have had there with her in that car, and maybe she wouldn't have to go through this."_

 _She was shaking with tears, and Stefan tried to held her tight in her arms, but his whole body started to vibrate._

 _"Her condition is degrading."_

 _And now he knew the reason of her breakdown. She heard his conversation with the doctor._

 _"Caroline, I-"_

 _"This is all my fault…. I would.. I would do anything to switch a place with her."_

 _Stefan thought that he heard something wrong. How could she say something like that. The thought of losing her was pricking in his heart._

 _"Never… ever… say that again." His words came in a one syllable manner. He brought her head towards his chest, and stroke her back in circular motion. The tears were rushing, and they were his own, because it was getting hard and hard to see her go through all of this._

* * *

 _He was hitting the coffee machine with his palm, when Elena came to see him._

 _"Where is Caroline?"_

 _"She is in the restroom." He told her, rubbing his eyes._

 _"I think you should go home, and take some rest." She stood beside him._

 _"No… I am good. I will stay here."_

 _"I thought your finals are going on."_

 _"Yeah, it's in the morning. I can go directly from here."_

 _"Are you venting your anger on the machine because I came in front of you without any notice?"_

 _"You really wanna hear it from me that this isn't about you, Elena?"_

 _"No, but then I want to know what's the reason of your… whatever emotion this is." she waved her hands around him._

 _"Caroline, wanted coffee, and I just thought only if I can make this damn machine work."_

 _"You can make her feel better." She finished his thought._

 _He nodded._

 _He sighed, he tried everything but it was still not working._

 _"She will be fine, you know. But, for that you have to be fine as well. To take care of her, you need to take care of yourself."_

 _"I just want her to be… okay."_

 _"I didn't know that you and Caroline are such a good friends."_

 _Who wouldn't be her friend? "Yeah, she is… the best one."_

 _"And that's it?" She prompted._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Just friendship… nothing… more than that?"_

 _He knew what she was asking about. Whether he has feelings for Caroline, or whether there is something going on between them._

 _"It doesn't matter."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because… right now, it's not about me. And anything other than Caroline, can wait."_

 _He could feel her hand on his shoulder, as if easing the muscles tightened in his body. For a second, he thought that he might feel something, anything like he used to when she was with him, when they dated before._

 _The truth was, he felt nothing like that anymore._

 _"Thank you!" He told her, turning his head towards her._

 _"For what?"_

 _"For coming back." For coming back and let him know for sure what he wanted, to know what his feelings are at the present moment. Elena didn't know what he was thanking her for, and she didn't ask any more question either._

* * *

 _He was looking for Caroline, when he passed in front of Liz's room. He stopped and traced his legs back. The beeps were coming in periodic order on the machine, her heart rate making the graph on the screen._

 _"Hey. I, uh, I was just passing by. And I don't know if you remember me or not, but I went to Mystic High with your daughter. Damon… is my brother. I heard you guys are friends."_

 _He was talking random stuff, and he must be crazy for saying the stuff he was about to say, but he needed to say it._

 _"Me and Caroline… we are friends. I know you already know this but I need to say that your daughter is the most energetic, brightest, and kind person. She can make anyone laugh." He chuckled thinking about the moments when he felt lonely and just by talking to her, he forgot the existence of his sadness._

 _"And right now, she is breaking. Her optimism is losing somewhere. I am just hoping that you can listen to me, and know that she needs you, that you have to fight back…. for Caroline."_

 _He looked at her still body. "I can't see her in this way… I love her so much that it hurts to see her going through the pain."_

 _He never realized when he admitted to himself that his feelings have changed for her, never noticed that he just admitted to a mother that he loves her daughter._

 _Her heart rate started to fluctuate, making the speed of the beep rising faster._

 _He pressed the button to call the nurse. "Someone call the doctor, there is some activity over here."_

* * *

 _Caroline rushed in to see the commotion. "What? What happened?"_

 _"I think there was a response, and-"_

 _"-and she is out of danger now." Dr. Ross finished his sentence._

 _"She is okay." Caroline whispered the words, but echoed everywhere. At least that's what it felt like to Stefan. It was long since he saw her smiling, and now she was smiling and laughing again._

 _"She is okay. Stefan, my mom is okay." She turned to Stefan, and he couldn't believe that he would have happy tears in his eyes, but there they were… just because she was happy._

* * *

 _It was his second and last paper for the semester. And today he did went to take a shower. And it felt really good after not being in freshen up for about 48 hours._

 _"Thank god, Liz is fine." Lexi took a sigh of relief when he entered the class._

 _"Wait, how do you know?"_

 _"Your face looks relaxed, your hair is combed and sensing with your changed clothes from last day, it's obvious that you had a shower today. Stefan… I know things when I see it."_

 _Stefan smiled and took his usual seat._

 _"How is Caroline."_

 _"She is fine now."_

 _"I hope you didn't bombed your last paper, Stefan."_

 _"What? I never-"_

 _"You gave it in like 30 minutes. So, just shut-up and hope that you will pass."_

 _He really hoped that else it wouldn't look good on his grade sheet._

* * *

 _It had been few days since Liz was back to her normal self. She was still hospitalized since the recovery was slow._

 _"I thought you might be bored of the hospital food." Stefan said while giving her the yogurt._

 _"Oh, you have no idea Stefan."_

 _Stefan chuckled taking the chair beside her bed. "Where is Caroline?"_

 _"I think Elena sent her home to take some rest."_

 _He nodded. It had been rough, and pretty much becoming impossible to meet her. Every time he was there, she was on some other side. He had bumped into her once or twice, but she was always in a hurry._

 _"You are a good friend to Caroline, Stefan." Liz was looking at him with a gratitude, as if she owed something to him._

 _"I did nothing. She deserves to be happy."_

 _"Thank you."_

 _"For what?"_

 _"For being there for my daughter, when she needed someone."_

 _Stefan nodded, a thought nagging in the back of his head. He did confessed about his feelings, but now he wasn't sure if she heard him that day or not._

 _"I, uh, that day-"_

 _"You don't need to say anything." Like she understood what he was gonna say, she stopped him for having the conversation. Maybe she knew that he had to have that conversation with Caroline first._

 _"Thanks." And he had nothing else to say to her._

* * *

 _An involuntary smile was all over his face, his right boot was continuously tapping on the floor. Even the thought of her was brighter than the daylight. It had been days but he can still feel her taste on his tongue. The moment was on loop in his mind like the rewind cassette. The way she held the rim of his jacket and pulled him closer. A soft chuckle left his throat when his brain started to re-enact how her nose was touching his cheek, and how flustered she was just by his single touch._

 _"Wow, you are smiling on a snowy day. Are we still on Earth?" Lexi was right beside him. "What's new?" She waggled her eyebrows, and he rolled his eyes at her._

 _"Nothing is new." He said plainly._

 _"Come on, Stefan. Tell me! You can't keep a secret from me." she nudged him, but he just started to walk._

 _"There is no secret Lexi."_

 _"Well, there is something…." she looked at him closely, studying his expressions. "or should I say.. someone."_

 _He side-eyed her, but didn't respond._

 _"What is it?" she asked him again._

 _"Nothing."_

 _"Look at your face, I can tell from miles away that there is some kind of news."_

 _"Why? What's on my face?" He tilted his head and looked at her._

 _"You have that glow which a two year old kid has when he gets a lollipop, or a teen girl has when she sees her crush, or a bride has on her wedding day. Which one is it in your case?"_

 _"Ha-ha… Lexi is so funny."_

 _Out of all that, the teenage girl was proximally closer to his case, but he wasn't a teenage girl, and it was definitely not a high-school crush he was having. He was in love with that girl, and finally his heart was admitting it. His brain has been adamant lately, pulling him backwards. But, now he was certain about it._

 _"Okay, all jokes aside, tell me one thing. Did something happened between you two?" If Lexi wants to, she could be a really pestering._

 _"I am not discussing anything, until I talk to her."_

 _"Aha, so something did happened."_

 _"I didn't say that."_

 _"Then, why is there anything to be discussed to begin with?" she raised an eyebrow, and he just stared at her._

 _"Anyways, I hope this time this 'her' is Caroline, and not another distraction."_

 _"Ivy wasn't a distraction."_

 _"Right, tell that to someone who doesn't know you well."_

 _Stefan laughed and looked at his reflection on the glass window. His face was glowing. And he had never seen himself like that ever before._

 _"Are you happy Stefan?" Lexi's question changed, and the tone implied the importance of her concern for him._

 _Stefan sighed and took a deep breath. "You have no idea. It's like I have born again, and it is impossible for me to put in words about the way I am feeling right now."_

 _"Then I don't want to know the reason behind it. Your smiling face is what matters the most."_

 _And Caroline mattered the most to him. That was his deciding moment. He had to talk to her, he needs to talk to her, because now he couldn't wait anymore._

* * *

 _Stefan walked faster, and it was nothing to do with the anxiety of meeting her. Still, it was everything to do with her. His heart raced at the speed of a lightning bolt, beating his own legs in the game. The smile was plastered on his face right from the moment he left his apartment and until he reached the place. Exactly at the corner of street, he bumped into someone, the one he was dying to see since last night._

 _"What the hell!" She shouted, looking at her dress which was covered with the spilled coffee from her cup in her hand._

 _"Please don't kill me." The words rushed through his mouth. That's when she saw him, and it looked to him like her heartbeat raised exponentially, just like it was happening for him._

 _"Hey" she whispered trembling a smile on her lips._

 _He responded in the exact same way._

 _"Coffee?" His eyes pointed at the cup in her right hand._

 _"The coffee machine is broken, remember." She told him, like it would explain her out in the street early in the morning. "So, I went to the coffee house to get one." she said slowly this time as if explaining a math problem to a five year old kid._

 _"And I spilled it, I am so-"_

 _"It's okay." she didn't let him finish._

 _He was here to tell her how he feels. This was definitely not a good start._

 _"You wanted to say something?" It was her who prompted him._

 _"Huh? Y-yeah… I" He licked his lip. All of a sudden he throat was feeling dry and itchy. "I do have to talk about something."_

 _"We should definitely do that inside."_

 _Yes, I do want to kiss you inside. "What?"_

 _"Talk. We should go inside, because I am freeeezing here."_

 _"Oh." He smiled nervously, cursing his stupid head and throwing stupid suggestions at him. "Sure."_

 _She walked forward, but he didn't move, and that made the collision again. "Sorry." He said, and tried to move on his left. And she moved on her right, blocking her way. It happened once or twice by accident. However, the third time was on purpose. He could see her cheeks with colors, flustering with the tiny bump. He was mesmerized with those rosy cheeks, and wanted nothing but to feel them under his lips. On the fifth block, she looked at him, and her smoothened forehead intended that she figured it out. Her lips turned into a smile, and his eyes were transfixed on them. It was the best thing to keep his eyes on._

 _"Sorry." He whispered once again, and her face flushed with the word. Was it because of the cold or because of him, he couldn't figure it out. But, he wished for the second option to be the case._

 _They went inside, and he stopped near the entrance. "You know what? You go ahead, I will be back in a minute." She didn't ask him any further question, and he walked towards the coffee machine. One last pressed his knuckled, and gave a good hit to the machine, pressing the combination of buttons. He wasn't going to lose this time, and he didn't. The cup came out of the machine, getting poured with the espresso coffee, with foam and everything. One half and half and no sugar, he knew her coffee order. When did he observed that? He asked that question to himself and the only thing that came to mind was that, he was a fool for not knowing things and his own behaviour for her._

 _He took the coffee cup in his hand, and walked towards liz room. He saw her coming out the room though._

 _"She is sleeping, so I don't think we should disturb her." She smiled at him and her eyes dropped down to the cup in his hand._

 _"Is that a coffee?"_

 _"Yeah… yeah, someone fixed the coffee machine, I guess."_

 _"But, it wasn't working before."_

 _"I don't know. It's working now." He gave the cup to her, and she was looking stunning behind the vapors of the coffee._

 _"Its… perfect." She was lost in the taste, eyes closed and her nose still red, turning into the normal color with every intake of sip._

 _"Caroline, I wanted to talk to you."_

 _"I wanted to talk to you about something as well."_

 _Stefan waited for her to continue._

 _"I am moving back with my mom… She uh, she is getting discharged tomorrow."_

 _"That's good, the more you will spend time with her, the more she will feel better."_

 _Caroline smiled and nodded._

 _"When will you be back by the way?"_

 _Caroline was silent. She licked her lips, as if looking for the proper words. "Stefan…. I am not coming back."_

 _Stefan stood there, unblinking, still... so still. She was leaving the town, leaving him._

 _"You are talking about going to another city." miles away from him._

 _"My internship is about to finish soon, and then I am done with my college. And I just thought of going back to my home place now. Anyways, there is nothing for me here, once I am done with the job."_

 _Stefan assumed that he was just hearing things, because she can't leave him, and moreover, she couldn't just say that nothing is stopping her to stay here after… after what happened between them, and after him realizing about his feelings, after him knowing that he really do love her. But, in every single thought, it was all him. He never came to know what she really felt after that kiss, and what she wanted from him. Whether she wanted just to be friends or more._

 _"And." she continued. "That night,when we… uh, when we kissed."_

 _"It was nothing." Did he heard it right? "Just forget that it happened."_

 _"Caroline-"_

 _"It was just a moment of momentary lapse. I just want to tell you that we don't need to worry about it."_

 _His mind was blank. He didn't want to hear anything. All this time he was battling with his feelings, but maybe she really did looked him just as a friend._

 _"Stefan…" She looked at him, as if her eyes were searching for something deep in his own._

 _He had to tell her, he had to stop her from going away from himself. "Yeah… we don't need to worry about it."_

 _"So, are we… good?" Her eyes were expectant, and he couldn't lose her. He would rather have her in his life than making it awkward for her._

 _"Yeah… we are good."_

 _But he wasn't._

* * *

A/N: So what are your thoughts? Let me know about it in the review box down below. Sorry for the late update. But, anyways there were some stuff which were not fitting in my opinion, so I have to add and delete some stuff. Anyways, the end is coming soon, and FYI next chapter is the last chapter for this fic :) It might be in parts as well or not. I am not sure right now. depends on my mood lol.


	15. Chapter 13

**A/N:** This is the final chapter of this fic. Before starting this chapter, I would like to thank each and everyone who loved and cherished this story. I loved the way you reacted. I was thrilled to see the comments and reviews here and whenever someone sent me an ask on tumblr for this fic, that made my day. This fic actually started with a prompt which was suppose to be a one-shot. But, I decided to go with multichapters. Anyways, I really hope that you guys will enjoy the last update of this fic.

* * *

 **2 Months, 28 days, 3 hours**

The counts weren't important, it was just a regular pass of the time, and he knew that very well. Even though, it was just the plain numbers, he never forgot them to count every single second. Two months, twenty eight days and three hours have been passed since she declared to move out of the city and Two months, twenty eight days and three hours since he didn't object to her decision. How could he? He didn't have a right to do that. He was no one to her, but a friend. A friend who was present in her life, lost in the pool of friends she already has. Why did he even thought of being the important one out of those? She wanted to be friends, and if that is what she wanted, that's how it was gonna be. He had no intention of fighting on that. So, every single day since the day they talked in the hospital corridor, since the day he realized that he was never the one for her, it has been a routine for him. Counting the days. Why he did this? He didn't know the answer to that question. His brain just involuntarily checked the date on that imaginary calendar in his head everyday.

 _"She is leaving?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Permanently?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"For good?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"And you are not going to do anything about this."_

 _The last statement was not a question, because Lexi knew his answer to that. And, he didn't say anything._

 _"Do you want to discuss about it?"_

 _"No."_

 _Maybe it was the right thing to do. To let it go, and move on. It was just a kiss. A moment of momentary lapse. That's what she had told him. It meant…. nothing. However pain her words have caused him, he wasn't going to stop her. And he didn't. He sat there in silence, keeping his eyes dry. But the moment Lexi put her hand on his shoulder, he knew he was going to break. He held her hand tight in his grip, as if he was falling from a cliff, and she could save him. Although he did fell, fell in love and it hurt, it hurt like all the bones in his body were crushed. He had experienced that pain before, a pain of betrayal, the hurt watching your love being in love with your own brother. But, that was all in the past. And he moved on from it. He did reached a point where he almost forgot the pain. And he did the same mistake of losing the emotions._

 _"When is she leaving?" Lexi squeezed his shoulder under her touch._

 _"Friday." He squeezed her hand as well. But, now the realization was suddenly hitting him, and everything he had been pushing away from his thoughts and were coming one by one to him, everything came simultaneously, like the Tsunami of her thoughts. Since all his attention was going on the fact that after Friday, there will be miles of distance separating them, he diverted his concentration on his heartbeat. A normal resting heart rate for an adult should be 60 to 100 beats in a minute. He took his hand which was resting above Lexi's and placed his two fingers between the bone and the tendon over the radial artery on his right wrist. Feel the pulse and count the number of beats in 15 seconds, which multiplied by 4 can calculated the beats in a minute. He did exactly the same. The only problem was, it was rising and rising, and it came to around 120 beats. His emotions were all over the place._

 _"I thought you were going to meet Ben." He asked Lexi when she jumped a step down and sat beside him._

 _"Thanks for stop talking in monosyllables." She laughed, but he didn't respond. "I thought of enjoying the view today with you. It's not everyday that you see the sunset in your university soccer field you know."_

 _As long as he remembers, that was the last thing they conversed once she sat down._

 _When he left her on the airport, he felt empty, like something was snatched from him. He had been battling the whole time with himself, if he should tell her about his feelings. But, he couldn't. She almost lost her mother, and he can't put a burden on her. She wanted to be there for her, and he should respect it. And he was trying to everything in his hand, to give that space to her. But, how to handle the stability of his head, he had no idea._

 _Fifteen days, ten hours had passed by now. And he recorded about what changed since then. Result was : nothing._

 _He had texted her a lot of times, in a time interval of four or five hours in a day. Not too desperate, in his opinion anyways. To which the only replies he got were his shadow ones._

 _Hey…_

 _Hey…_

 _How is Liz?_

 _She is better now. Doing some of the exercises doctors told her to do._

 _How is the shifting?_

 _A lot of boxes still unopened._

 _Does it feel good to be back in the old place?_

 _It does._

 _It was weird because, she never talked to him like that. She had always been chirpy even on the calls. Did he ruined it all for them by kissing her?_

 _How are you?_

 _A sigh of relief dropped from his mouth to see her message._

 _I am fine._

 _He wrote it down and sent the message._

 _I miss you._

 _He didn't know why he mentioned it, or why he hit the send button. But, now her reply wasn't coming and he was panicked._

 _I miss you too._

 _His heart rate came to the normal speed._

 _Anything new?_

 _He didn't want the conversation to end, so he did what he could. Small talks._

 _Nothing like of saying. What about you?_

 _Usual_

 _He had no idea what was going in her head. He wanted to mend the friendship but she was far far away._

 _It's cold out there on the soccer field, and it was all abandoned, deserted and literally no other person but him._

 _I gotta go. Catch you later._

 _That was Caroline's text. He was about to ask her if he can come to visit her. But, before he could do that she ended the conversation. He looked around himself, cursing himself for ruining their friendship._

 _"Is this kind of your sulking place now?"_

 _He sighed loudly on hearing that voice. Lexi would never leave him alone, will she?_

 _"What are you doing here?" His eyes were glued to the floor, playing with his lapiz lazuli stone ring on his third finger._

 _'Professor Rick were looking for you. I just came to let you know."_

 _"Hmm."_

 _He had no mood of meeting the professors, but he had to, as Professor Rick was kind of his mentor, and believed truly in him. Thus, he took a deep breath and walked towards the medical building in his university._

 _When he reached at his office, he was already waving his finger at him to let him in._

 _"Did you asked for me?"_

 _Professor stopped writing and directed his eye at him. Stefan must be looking awful, and he could tell that by the looks on his face._

 _"You can take a seat."_

 _He obeyed._

 _"Stefan… you are a bright student. Someone who has such a tremendous potential." The start was no fun. Because, whenever someone starts the conversation with that statement, there is always a 'but' followed by. He waited for that 'but' to be pointed at._

 _"Is everything fine with you?"_

 _"Why are you asking me that?"_

 _The professor opened the drawer on the right side of his desk, and took out a piece of paper. His answer paper._

 _"Look at the grade."_

 _C-. It was the worst in the history of grades he had ever got in his life. That, didn't mean nobody else did._

 _"And?" He prompted Rick. He knew the paper was bad, and he didn't sit there to finish half of the questions, since Caroline was all alone, he wanted to be there for her._

 _"You failed."_

 _"Yes, the grade sucks, but I am pretty sure that C- is not an F."_

 _"Yes, it's not. But, that C you are looking at right now… that is something I changed from F. Stefan, you left half of the questions unanswered. And, it's not like you don't know the answer to those."_

 _Stefan stared at the grade on his paper. Wow, That was the first for him. He brought his eye level to his professor and stared at him instead. "What do you want from me?"_

 _"I want you to get your head out of the mud. I don't know what the hell is going in with you, but you need to see straight and concentrate on you life. If becoming a paramedic is still your dream, I should add."_

 _The answer to that was yes…. yes he still wanted to be the doctor. However, the road to it was feeling like falling._

 _"I am giving you a pass this time, but, don't repeat it again."_

 _But…. there it was. The word, loud and clear. You will be getting this BUT there is a condition. You are passed BUT it won't happen again for the same mistake. We are friend Stefan, but we can't be more than that. Yes, we kissed, but it was a moment of momentary lapse._

 _Why do people explain their actions._

 _"I will try to make it sure about that." He stood up and walked out of his office._

 _He had to take a decision. He had to forget everything about his feelings._

 _And that meant pouring his heart out in the unlimited glass of whiskey._

 _"So, is it helping then?"_

 _"Are you ever going to leave me alone?" Stefan slurred out the words on the girl walking towards him._

 _"You look alone. So, why should I make you more alone?" The girl smiled and took a seat beside him. The voice was new._

 _"I, uh, I am sorry. I just thought that it was someone else." He tried to concentrate on her face, but he couldn't. The only thing he could figure out was her blonde hair. However, she wasn't Lexi which he got once he heard her voice._

 _"No worries. You are from the medical school, right?"_

 _How do you know that?"_

 _"I know a lot of things." She laughed softly. "And you are doing it all wrong." She flirted._

 _"And what is that?" He flirted back. It has been about 1 month, 2 days, and unknown hours since Caroline left the city. He still felt that day like yesterday. Maybe a little bit flirting is what he needed._

 _"Let's play a game." Her voice was teasing, and he was all in for that. "If I win, we will finish our night at my place._

 _"And what if I win?"_

 _"It will be your place."_

 _He looked at her blurry figure. "Game on!" Maybe it was his drunk brain, and maybe in the morning he was going to regret it all._

 _He wanted to take that chance now._

 _Shots after shots they took almost thirteen of it individually. He was so drunk that even his legs were unsteady on the road. Or was that the road?_

 _"Okay… do it!"_

 _"No no no no… I don't do such stuff."_

 _"You should then. It's fun."_

 _He took a big gulp, and widened his eyes and blinked multiple times in three seconds._

 _"Ready?" She whispered in his ear._

 _A loud buzz of the door bell lasted for about a minute, because he never let his finger pulled away from over the button. He could hear rustling of shoes inside the house, and the grumbles and shouts. She pulled his hand, and they ran… they ran like the little kids once they pull some prank._

 _She was laughing, and he was laughing with her. He had forgotten that he was Stefan, the guy who broods, the guy who lucks out on people he loves._

 _He took a breathe after that laugh. He could feel her hand on his shoulder, and when he turned around he could feel her close. He should give in, let it go. Have one day off. Her face started to clear out from the blur, with those blonde curls bouncing around her face. She was beautiful, and gorgeous, and even hotter than most of the girls he have met before._

 _But, she wasn't Caroline._

 _So, he just turned his head away, and closed his eyes. He had to come out of this misery sooner._

 _Two months, three days, and four hours have been passed since she left the city, and he remembered the date. It was not a news. The new thing was he remembered the minutes and seconds for that exact moment as well. Because, it was a long time after which she called him._

 _"Hey."_

 _Her voice was still melodious like the wind chime, and he could feel the muscles on his cheek flexing and stretching into a smile._

 _"Hey."_

 _"How are you doing?"_

 _"work and all. How are you?"_

 _"Good. Just enjoying the city. I met my old friends. I was telling Bonnie, she should visit soon."_

 _Only Bonnie…. the invitation wasn't for him. Even though the pit in his stomach was burning, he didn't say anything, and just nodded._

 _"You should come too."_

 _His heart almost did a tango on it. Even if he hated dancing. "Really?"_

 _"Yeah. Afterall this was your place as well, right?"_

 _"I would gladly come."_

 _Only problem was he couldn't because of the last test he almost failed. He had to do extra studies for the credit, and now he was stuck._

 _"I am taking some classes for some extra credits this semester, so it's a little tight right now. But, I will really come over there."_

 _She was silent for a minute, as if cutting her own tongue. "Are you mad?"_

 _"For what?"_

 _"I don't know. I am just asking."_

 _He chuckled. The girl he missed so much. "No, no I am not mad." He wasn't mad at her, but he just wanted her back in his life._

 _"Well, you should be… Why are you so good to me?"_

 _Because I love you._

 _"Because, you are my friend."_

 _"Yeah… friend." She got silent for a second, but came with a "Hey we never officially said it."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Happy new year."_

 _He laughed with her. "Happy new year Caroline."_

 _The call ended, and maybe that was the day he needed the most. Things were calm, and smooth. He attended his classes regularly, went to his gym in the evening, did his pushups and run every single day. Life was normal. Maybe because he was okay with everything, or maybe because he got some stability. But, majorly he thought that the reason was Caroline was back to talking terms with him. And he won't mind it. He just wanted her in his life. That's it!_

 ** _2 months, 28 days, 3 hours_**

 ** _24 hours before 11th march, 2004_**

 _The time was important. Because he had never felt so happy in a very long time. Because at that exact time, he was talking with her._

 _"So, you are still in the library?"_

 _"Yeah. A lot of reading to do before the spring break starts." He rubbed his eyes. "Actually, I might-"_

 _"I am in town."_

 _"You what?"_

 _"In town, here…. in Madrid."_

 _"And when were you going to tell me that?" He almost jumped out of his chair, which made a loud noise. He didn't care though. The library was anyways empty except for the two or three people sitting at the corner._

 _"I was… once I was free. It's… Bonnie… it's her birthday."_

 _"When did you came?"_

 _"Few hours back."_

 _"I am coming there."_

 _"NO" she almost shouted but tried to lower her voice back again."I mean, I am here for another day. I can meet you tomorrow, if you don't mind. I mean, it's Bonnie's day. And I was kinda late in arriving here."_

 _"And you want to spend as much time as you can with her."_

 _"Yeah." She sighed a relief._

 _"Okay. It will be a perfect day for us tomorrow anyways. Kind of a milestone."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _He could clearly imagine the crumbled lines on her forehead._

 _"It will be a year tomorrow when we met."_

 _"You… you remember?"_

 _"Of course I remember. I, uh, I dropped my novel on your head." He chuckled remembering how she almost cursed him. Her red cheek, her nose filled with anger, and her wide eyes once she saw him._

 _She laughed on the phone. "You were so scared to see me hurt, you thought I lost my memory or something."_

 _"No, I didn't"_

 _"Yes, you did."_

 _"You are exaggerating." He argued. "I was just concerned."_

 _"Over-concerned, I should say."_

 _"Yeah, yeah… fine."_

 _She was laughing and it was the best thing to hear in the morning._

 _"So, tomorrow then?"_

 _"Tomorrow, it is."_

 _A full-fledged smile on his face. He didn't know for how long he sat like that, but he couldn't wait for the next day. After 2 months, and 28 days, there was the 29th day when he was going to meet her._

 **11th March, 2004, 7:00 a.m. (Present day)**

He is still in the clothes from the last night. He couldn't go back to his place to change, the professor is really giving him the hardest time for the mistake he did just once. But, he didn't complaint. If he can get all his work done, he will have all his time to spend with her.

He checks his watch for the time. Seven in the morning, and she must be on the station. So, he just calls her.

"Hey."

"Hey" she says it back, like she always do.

"Why that sigh?" His brows are furrowed.

"I am running a little late."

"The time will pass. Don't worry." He chuckles at the impatience, because he is the one feeling it, but she is the one showing it.

"Yeah… it will."

He can clearly imagine her tensed shoulders easing out, bringing the smile on her face, while she inhales the orchids in her hand.

"I can smell the orchids."

"How do you know that I have orchids in my hand?"

He knows that she is looking for him around her, and so he continues, "Now, don't look for me in the crowd."

"How the hell did you-"

"Caroline… I just… know it."

"Of course you do."

He chuckles.

"Okay, I think my train is coming. Wait for me."

"I will… I am waiting." He can wait for her even if it takes thousand years. "See you soon."

After ending the call, he checks the time once again on his phone. Still 7 a.m. as if time was standing still.

"There is your coffee." Lexi was right behind him.

"Thanks." He needed that coffee. "I should run now."

"Stefan?"

He was almost running when she calls him back. He is dreading to look at her, because he knows her next few questions.

"Are you seriously not going to face me now?"

"What do you want me to say Lexi?"

"I want you to decide what you want."

"The thought is scary." Scary because he has seen the would be after effects. almost three months of life without Caroline Forbes.

"Why is it scary?"

"Because she is my best friend."

"And here I thought, I was your best friend." He chuckles at her, shaking his head thinking again about Caroline.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." He mumbles. Her stares are enough proof that she won't let him go unless he answers. "I don't know Lexi. I am still figuring it out." Figuring out if he would make things awkward again. "I don't want to mess up things. The place where we are right now, what if didn't work? I will lose her." Again… "And I can't afford that."

"Why do you think it won't work? You think she isn't good enough for you?"

Thing is… Stefan never told her about the kiss or any of his feelings. "No, I didn't say that." Maybe she is using the reverse psychology.

"Then what Stefan? What is holding you back?"

"She is too good to fall for me." He has done the mistakes again and again. "You know, I thought Elena was the one for me, what if-"

"But, Caroline isn't Elena, Stefan. The situation isn't like the one you and Elena had. That love was different."

"I don't think she looks at me in that way."

"You both are being idiots."

"Lexi…. can we talk about this anytime later? I gotta go."

"Fine… don't talk. But, figure it out soon. Life is way too short Stefan. Don't waste it on just thinking out stuffs. By the way, where are you going?"

"Um"

"Are you going home?"

"I don't have a class today, and I have noted down the observations for the experiment."

"Okay. Say my hello to Caroline."

He never told her about her being in the city as well. He has no idea how Lexi does that, reading him all the time.

"Is it that obvious?" He smiles shyly.

"Look into the mirror, and see it yourself."

He would, but then he might be late in catching the bus. He is meeting her in half an hour and the wait is killing him.

He reaches the bus stop, and misses the bus just by a minute. The thought is still running through his head. Should he or should he not. Last time he tried to do something like that, he threw her miles away from himself. He is not going to make that mistake again. Usually he is a patient guy, but, right now, patience is something he threw in the garbage. He starts to look for the bus schedule map in his bag when he found the novel, the one he lended Caroline, and she shoved it in his chest while drunk. She looked so cute that his heart just stopped at the thought.

At the corner of the street, he bumped into someone, which made his novel fell.

"I think you dropped something."

A piece of paper. Even though he had never seen that paper, he took it.

His eyes were wide open.

 _To Stefan Freaking Salvatore,_

 _I know that this letter is never going to see the light, and your eyes will never fall on this sheet of paper. But, I have to do something. I have to vent it somewhere, or else I am going to be craaazy. Anyways, I had no idea I can write so perfectly while drunk. Good job Caroline. *proudly back-slapping my own shoulder* So, where was I?_

 _Yeah, I don't know how people stop themselves in doing something. I mean I am a control freak. And I should be able to handle it all. But, what I really can't do is handle my feelings for you. I thought I can do it. But, every time you walks into my room, or place, or towards me, or even if I hear your voice, I feel like slipping away. It is driving me nuts, that I have feelings for you and it is all wild and uncontrollable. You have always cared about everyone and that is something I have liked the most about you. Maybe we have came too far in our friendship that I can't do anything else about this. I wanna give a smack on the back of my head, and shout at myself for sulking over stuff. You are my best friend and I can never ever forever lose you. I wish you a happy life with Ivy._

 _Yours,_

 _Caroline_

 _The girl who love the dumbo named Stefan_

 **/\**

He read that tiny sheet over and over again. It must be a dream because it's not possible, that's what he thought. Caroline being in love with him couldn't be a reality. He wanted the time to breathe properly. His mind is racing, the heart beating so loud that the whole city might hear it.

The girl who loves me. He laughs at himself. There is no one around him, but he wants to shout and tell everyone.

"She loves me!" He mumbles looking at the unfolded paper. He is waiting for the dream to break anytime, but it didn't. His eyes were moist, and concentrated at the signed sentence at the bottom.

His phone buzzes right at the moment.

"Stefan…"

"Lexi...you have no idea what just happened. I mean, this is kind of the best day for me."

He was so happy that he was laughing like a kid. He had never done that before. "This thing was with me all this time, and I never saw it. Caroline is right, I AM really a dumbo. I just had to open my backpack, and take this novel out, but I kept it sitting right inside my bag."

He has been talking continuously for about five minutes when he realizes that Lexi is silent.

"You must be thinking, what got into me all of a sudden. How come Stefan is talking so much. But, you will understand once you listen to this. Caroline loves me."

Silence.

Well, he expected to some reaction. Maybe she is in shock like him as well.

"What? No 'I told you so' or no 'I knew it way before you'?"

Still no response.

"Hmm, maybe the sherlock couldn't figure out this puzzle before huh?" He chuckles and reads the paper again. Right now all he wants is to go to Caroline, and tell her everything.

"Stefan…"

"Lexi, I think you should say something other than my name as well."

"Where are you?"

"Near the bus stop."

"You didn't get the bus."

"No, but it's fine. I can take a cab."

"There was an explosion in the train."

Stefan frowned. "Which train?"

"The one Caroline took for this zone."

For a second, he thought it is real. But, it can't be. Everything around him is so calm, there is no chaos and nothing. So, he starts laughing.

"Stefan.. stop laughing."

"Then stop making jokes about terrorist attacks, Lexi." He gritted his teeth. The anger is all over his face.

"I am not joking Stefan. It's all over the news-"

He don't know what she said afterwards, because he starts running towards the station. Everything around him was vibrating with the earthquake. That is how he felt.

This can't be happening, not after the letter, not with her….

"I think you should eat something. Have some sugar in yourself."

Caroline looked at the energy drink can in his hand.

"And I think you should go."

"I am not going anywhere."

"Isn't it your finals today?"

"It is."

"Then go."

"But…"

"Stefan, I don't want you to fail because of me."

"I will be fine."

"I will go only on one condition…. you have to eat something."

"I will take something from the cafe outside."

"Promise?"

Stefan crosses the Television showroom, where the news was on every possible Television set. Multiple moving images of the exploded train on the track. The report is already for about hundred people being injured. It's like the hell dragging him down six feet under the Earth. Caroline! He tries her phone for the fifth time. But, it's still engaged…. dead

 _"Did you eat?"_

 _"None of your business." Caroline was never a fan of Damon, and the major part was him being so cocky, and also the fact of the pain he gave Stefan._

 _"No, it's not my business." He pressured at the last word. "But, my brother worries for you. And because of the fact that he is not going to eat anything either unless you do."_

 _Caroline turned her head at him._

 _"He is asking me, and I am not going to lie." With that, he moved his hand towards him. A piece of muffin in his hand. She might hate him, but she never wanted to make Stefan worry. And thus, she took the muffin and had the bite._

 _/\_

 _She saw him watching Elena walking towards him. He was glued to his position, and the churning in her stomach wasn't good. She had no idea that Elena still might have some kind of affect on him. She could hear him clearing his throat, and maybe the night before today, was nothing but a moment of heat._

 _"Thank you." She heard him saying._

 _"For what?" Elena had asked._

 _"For coming here."_

 _Something inside her shattered. The insecurity of never to be the one being loved surfaced. A moment before she had asked about the kind of relation they have, and he dodged it. Caroline at that very moment, got the answer very loud and clear. She was a friend. And that's what all she was._

 _/\_

Stefan is right outside the station, and it is a chaos all over the place. People rushing here and there, the paramedic team taking the stretcher and bringing out the injured people. He tries to go inside, but is blocked by the police.

"This area is sealed. You can't go inside."

"MY… my friend is inside."

"Everyone's someone is inside, but you can't go there."

He clutches the collar of the police, which is practically a felony. "My friend might be in danger. I have to go there. I can't lose her." He is losing his head now.

 _"I am moving back with my mom… She uh, she is getting discharged tomorrow."_

 _"That's good, the more you will spend time with her, the more she will feel better. When will you be back by the way?"_

 _"Stefan…. I am not coming back."_

Although he was kicked out of the place before, he managed to go near the track. He didn't know how though. He looked for her everywhere. However, wherever his eyes went, it only saw the red of the blood. And he is damn scared right now. He turns around thinking that maybe she is out of danger, and she is safe, but his eyes deceives him when they fell on the bunch of orchids scattered near the body, the one which the paramedic team were trying to keep on the stretcher.

 _"So, are we… good?" She wanted to see that glimmer of hope. She wanted him to tell her that it wasn't just nothing. She wanted him to fight with her and argue. And most importantly she was expecting him to stop her, give her the reason to stay._

 _"Yeah… we are good."_

But, he didn't.

He is numb, his knees are shaking, and he couldn't even walk.

"Death on spot."

He hears one person saying that.

Dead…

But, it's impossible. She can't be…

His heart isn't beating anymore, like his soul has been sucked away out of him.

Caroline!

Her name is on loop in his head.

One chance, just one chance… he is begging the higher being. He would do anything to get a moment with her.

"Please God, make her wake up." He whispers, praying over and over again. But, her body is lifeless. He waits for a response, still discarding everything to be real.

She didn't.

Her body was still and flat.

He could feel the blood rushing into his brain, as if he is hanging upside down. Cardiac attacks make your left arm paralyzed. He doesn't know if it is one of those attacks.

"Stefan?"

The names reaches his ears like an echo. The hallucination of the voices in his head.

"Stefan."

The name is called again. This time it is more clear than before. It's coming from behind him.

Caroline is standing there, with a purse on her right arm, and the stain of blood on her dress. His eyes lingers on the blood stain, trying to calm the panic attack inside him.

"It's not my blood. I was just trying to help someone."

He walks towards her, unblinking. Because, if this is a dream, or a hallucination he doesn't want to give it away with a blink of an eye.

"I took the wrong train accidentally. And I knew you will be waiting here. Then, I heard about the explosion, I thought you might-"

He didn't know how she was going to end that statement, because he never realized when his lips landed over hers, and he kissed her as if he found her after a lifetime. There were surrounded with people running around them, the dust fumes in the air. But, he didn't care, because she is here, she is safe, and she is with him.

"What was that for?"

"Just a few seconds before, I thought that you were dead, and at that very moment, something died inside me as well." His hands were resting on either side of her cheeks, stroking them periodically. "I have lost so many moments where I could have told you everything, but I didn't because of all those what-if scenarios. I literally almost lost you right now. But, I am not going to repeat that mistake again. And, this isn't some random speech, Caroline. I can't stop feeling what I feel and I am not going anywhere leaving you because I love you."

She was speechless, staring at him dumbfounded.

"Say something."

"Since when did you started speaking this much."

He chuckles. "Since I met a girl named Caroline Forbes."

"Well, who takes a lifetime to confess what they feel?"

"Someone who is a dumbo."

"Yes, you are a dumbo."

"Hmm… but you are the girl who is in love with this dumbo."

Caroline tilted head, thinking about his statement. "You read my letter!" she almost slapped his chest.

"It was addressed to me."

"Still." she was still throwing the punches with her fist, when his hands stopped her by grabbing them both.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For taking the right train this time."

"I took the wrong one, Stefan."

"No… you took the wrong one a year ago, when we met in the train."

Her eyes went wide. "You… you knew."

He didn't say but just smiled.

"Since when?"

"Since we met."

"You are lying." Caroline huffed.

"The branch which you were talking about that day, it has been shut down for almost a year and a half now. I knew that the moment you told me you were working in that branch. I just never knew the reason behind that lie. And to be honest, it really never mattered to me."

"Well, that's embarrassing."

"It's not important, Caroline. The real question is… do you still… have feelings for me?"

He has to ask her, because if she still doesn't want to take it further, he won't. "I know I kissed you just like that. And this place is the worst possible place for a confession and I should have had asked, and I-"

Her lips were collided with his, and he could feel her smiling under his lips.

"What do you think, the answer is Mr. Salvatore?"

"Maybe I need more explanation." One soft peck on her lower lip. He didn't want to let her go. "Promise me." He whispered. "That you will stay with me forever."

And it's just the beginning of their forever….

 **THE END...**

* * *

A/N: So, we are HERE. At the end :) Did you liked the whole fic, or this chapter? The prompt was to write a steroline for the march 2004 Madrid event but with a happy ending. And although I didn't go in detail with the train explosion, I just wanted to concentrate on their build up, and how one thing led to another. And mainly I wanted to give the message of never stop from expressing your feeling. Don't hold back. Life is short, and sometimes worst things happens while you are stuck in making the what-if scenarios. Live in the present, and if you want to tell someone that you love them, then go and say it. Maybe the time wouldn't be wasted in your case, like these two idiots did in this story ;) Happy day. and Don't forget to leave the comments.

P.S.: I have started a new fic called Strings. Go and check that out :)


	16. News for the sequel

A/n: Hello lovely followers. It's going to be an year since I started writing, and as a gratitude I was writing the epilogue for this fic. However, I thought since you guys cherished this one too much, why not give the detailed version and not just an epilogue. Thus, There is going to be second story coming for this series, which is going to be the continuation from where it ended. Hope you will enjoy the second one as much as you did this one. Leave me a message with your thoughts :). The title has been fixed and it is "The love that lived forever." Keep an eye for this one. I will either be uploading it later tonight or tomorrow. Hope you guys are happy.


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